"OATH KEEPERS" descend on Ferguson, MO armed and ready to defend the constitution.

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deadeye
deadeye Members Posts: 22,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited August 2015 in The Social Lounge
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696




Heavily-armed members of a controversial right-wing "patriot" group added an extra dose of unease to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, early Tuesday.

The Oath Keepers organization says its members — all former military, police and first responders — pledge to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

However, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar described their presence as "both unnecessary and inflammatory."

Protesters and police confirmed that a handful of Oath Keepers with what appeared to be assault rifles, bulletproof vest and camouflage gear were seen early Tuesday on the streets of Ferguson, which was under a state of emergency following demonstrations pegged to the anniversary of Michael Brown's death.


Several protesters confronted members of the group, asking why they were allowed to openly carry weapons.

"I'm happy that we're able to defend ourselves," one Oath Keeper replied in footage from NBC station KSDK. "It's been our right for a long time."

The St. Louis County Police Department said it would consult with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office about the legalities of the issue.

Missouri allows individuals with concealed weapons permits to openly display firearms, unless it is done in an "angry or threatening manner."

Shawn McGuire, a spokesman for St. Louis County Police, said he did not believe officers had confronted the Oath Keepers or told to leave.

"We do not know who sent them," he added.

"GO ARMED, AT ALL TIMES, AS FREE MEN AND WOMEN, AND BE READY TO DO SUDDEN BATTLE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, AND WITH UTTER RECKLESSNESS"
The Oath Keepers organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Members of the organization also were in Ferguson late last year when protests reignited over a grand jury decision not to indict the officer, Darren Wilson, who killed Brown.

The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the Oath Keepers as a "fiercely anti-government, militaristic group."

The organization — which claims to have more than 30,000 members — was founded in 2004 by former U.S. Army paratrooper and Yale Law School graduate Stewart Rhodes.

Rhodes has referred to Hillary Clinton as "Hitlery" and earlier this year said that Sen. John McCain should be tried for treason and "hung by the neck until dead" for going "along with the program of the destruction of this country."


Following the deadly attack on a Naval reserve center in Chattanooga, Rhodes issued a blistering critique of the Pentagon for failing to allow armed servicemen at recruitment centers and told Oath Keepers to take up station where they could.

"Go armed, at all times, as free men and women, and be ready to do sudden battle, anywhere, anytime, and with utter recklessness," he wrote on the organization's website. "That IS the price of freedom."

Patricia Bynes, Democratic Committeewoman of Ferguson Township, went to check on the protests early Tuesday and was surprised to find the Oath Keepers amid a heavy police presence.


"They just showed up, walking around carrying their assault rifles," she told NBC News. "There really was no need."

Bynes said the Oath Keepers' presence detracted from the real issues at heart: racial inequality.

"I would rather the story be on things we're working on in Ferguson and not the Oath Keepers," she said.

Several protesters asked the Oath Keepers to leave and questioned why the men were allowed to openly carry weapons given how protests over the past year have been to highlight racial inequality.

"If there were black and brown people in this country who showed up in the streets open carrying assault rifles in paramilitary garb would they still be received the same way?" Bynes asked. "It seems to be that especially when it comes to the Second Amendment there seems to be a different way that it is enforced."

The commiteewoman said that police did not confront the Oath Keepers — which hit to the core of the issues.

"There were two blocks of police. They saw them," she said. "It's more about the hypocrisy. Of wow, if anybody out here tried that they'd be met with a different greeting from police."


The Oath Keepers' website outlines a list of 10 "Orders" members will not obey — including orders to disarm the American people, conduct warrantless searches or "blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps."

Included on the list are two which might have particular resonance in Ferguson. The fourth? "We will NOT obey order to impose martial law or a 'state of emergency' on a state."

And the final item: "We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances."

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Comments

  • Arya Tsaddiq
    Arya Tsaddiq Members Posts: 15,334 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Stiff wrote: »
    The Oathkeepers are right-wing...but they're also anti-government..So the Oathkeepers came in support of the Black protestors? Or as a show of force to keep the protestors in line...with the government... that they feel has too much power?

    I'm confused

    The jig is almost up bruh. Nothing makes sense anymore. Where they there as antagonist? Or really there to challenge the "police state"?

    Time will tell.
  • Stiff
    Stiff Members Posts: 7,723 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    deadeye wrote: »
    Stiff wrote: »
    The Oathkeepers are right-wing...but they're also anti-government..So the Oathkeepers came in support of the Black protestors? Or as a show of force to keep the protestors in line...with the government... that they feel has too much power?

    I'm confused


    lol


    Their constitution/anti-government rhetoric is ? .


    They're just down there looking for an excuse to shoot black people.


    If they were really sincere about what their beliefs, they'd be speaking out against the injustices that have taken place in Ferguson and across the country as well..

    those far right groups really are anti-government tho..they be the main ones shooting cops quiet as kept..but they're also not too fond of black people
  • PapaDoc223
    PapaDoc223 Members Posts: 2,162 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    We need our own black militias because these far right wing groups are a threat to us. No matter what. We as black people need to have an awakening to be strapped up and form black militas to protect our neighborhoods from police,gangs and groups like the Oathkeepers. It wont be long until some sherrif deputises these red neck peckerwood to go to a black area or black part of town to "stabalize" the racial unrest.
  • Stiff
    Stiff Members Posts: 7,723 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    SneakDZA wrote: »
    Stiff wrote: »
    The Oathkeepers are right-wing...but they're also anti-government..So the Oathkeepers came in support of the Black protestors? Or as a show of force to keep the protestors in line...with the government... that they feel has too much power?

    I'm confused

    One would think that if they're there to "defend the constitution" they would be protecting journalists from being locked up and protecting the protesters' right to assemble and speak freely.

    But the fact of the matter is they really just want to threaten, intimidate, incite and shoot black people .

    the American political spectrum is becoming more and more of a ? ... at least in the 60s when a group showed up you knew exactly where they stood..you could read their manifesto and be like "oh okay they hate black people"...or "oh okay they're anarchists, fight the power."

    now everybody talks in riddles
  • ChillaDaGawd
    ChillaDaGawd Members Posts: 12,021 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    PapaDoc223 wrote: »
    We need our own black militias because these far right wing groups are a threat to us. No matter what. We as black people need to have an awakening to be strapped up and form black militas to protect our neighborhoods from police,gangs and groups like the Oathkeepers. It wont be long until some sherrif deputises these red neck peckerwood to go to a black area or black part of town to "stabalize" the racial unrest.

    You do. They're called "gangs" but a lot of the time they're disorganized and their priorities are in the wrong place
  • deadeye
    deadeye Members Posts: 22,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    PapaDoc223 wrote: »
    We need our own black militias because these far right wing groups are a threat to us. No matter what. We as black people need to have an awakening to be strapped up and form black militas to protect our neighborhoods from police,gangs and groups like the Oathkeepers. It wont be long until some sherrif deputises these red neck peckerwood to go to a black area or black part of town to "stabalize" the racial unrest.

    You do. They're called "gangs" but a lot of the time they're disorganized and their priorities are in the wrong place


    No, we don't.


    For the very reasons you mentioned in the bolded.
  • rapmusic
    rapmusic Members Posts: 4,130 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It's the media's fault
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
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    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • loch121
    loch121 Members Posts: 12,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    They are there to shoot black ppl and shoot cops if they stop them from shooting black ppl.This is ugly
  • Stiff
    Stiff Members Posts: 7,723 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    And what's really strange about the right wing is...they call Obama ? and they use terms like "? " to insult police and all that....

    but the far right revers ? and the right wing is composed of neo-nazis...so is ? supposed to be good or bad?

    They're all pro-American and love the constitution...but they celebrate revolts against America (Confederates)...well white revolts and they praise America's enemies (? )...well America's white enemies
  • semi-auto-mato
    semi-auto-mato Members Posts: 2,833 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    the oath keepers are the there to protect a journalist(forgot the name). they are pretty much there to act as a personal security but I am guessing the journalist had a point with hiring them. the oath keepers hate the cops and the government and black folks so they rather be in Montana watching on tv. they break laws and openly defy government but just don't give a ? .
  • 2stepz_ahead
    2stepz_ahead Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    its still funny how a peaceful rally........which started as hands up dont shoot....because i dont have a weapon and i have rights..which were violated

    turns into high-powered rifles to defend or rights but those with weapons dont get shot or shot at
  • gns
    gns Members Posts: 21,285 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yo what's these oath keepers point of contact ima ask em myself wtf they're doing there
  • D0wn
    D0wn Members Posts: 10,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    These Oath Keepers are nothing but, another faction of white supremacist sub groups... trained millitias, via the u.s army... who came back to their homes, to train more craccas.
    ? is so ? obvious.


    I can't believe some of u ? are that naive to think, craccas are there with there guns to look out for us.
    A piece of me feel like, u naive ? deserve to get shot.
  • J.J._Evans
    J.J._Evans Members Posts: 2,509 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    They are Former military and police officers that hate Obama. They are birthers that don't want to acknowledge him as an American or as their President, so there's no need to think about it too hard. They are trying to kick off a race riot............


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3GxFYtyKdY
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVTauxgcNEA



    They were also the military group at The Bundy Ranch helping that bigot Cliven Bundy.

    Cliven-Bundy-militia_0.png
    Dawn-America-Armed-Militias_021145990077.jpg
    04-24-14-Cliven-Bundy-quote.png


  • D0wn
    D0wn Members Posts: 10,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    J.J._Evans wrote: »
    They are Former military and police officers that hate Obama. They are birthers that don't want to acknowledge him as an American or as their President, so there's no need to think about it too hard. They are trying to kick off a race riot............


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3GxFYtyKdY
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVTauxgcNEA



    They were also the military group at The Bundy Ranch helping that bigot Cliven Bundy.

    Cliven-Bundy-militia_0.png
    Dawn-America-Armed-Militias_021145990077.jpg
    04-24-14-Cliven-Bundy-quote.png


    They not tryna kick up no race riot, theyre there, ready to shoot up dust. ? a riot they're blood thirsty.. n ? r sitting ducks.
  • J.J._Evans
    J.J._Evans Members Posts: 2,509 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    En-Fuego22 wrote: »
    oathkeeper = domestic terrorist

    Oathkeeper = Legal AR-15 carrying Clan memeber
  • Copper
    Copper Members Posts: 49,532 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Anti govt whites are even more hypocritical than reg. whites