Brandon Paudert was a police officer in Arkansas, and in 2010 he and his partner, Bill Evans, were gunned down by anti-government extremists during a routine road stop. The murder was committed by members of the ‘sovereign citizens’ movement, Americans who believe they are ‘exempt from the law’. The scary part is that these people are unpredictable – some just refuse to pay their taxes, while others are ready to wage war on anyone who challenges them.
Somehow, even with unending chatter on jihadist terrorism, government talk on addressing these far-right groups is strangely quiet. When we take a closer look we find a survey of law enforcement professionals from 2015 that found American extremists as the greatest security threat, not radical Muslim jihadists. Hmm.
Bob wonders about the silence from the White House as he watches the video of his son’s death. He knows this tragedy could’ve been prevented, and he travels the country training law enforcement personnel in how to deal with the ‘sovereign citizens’ and keep us safe.
“I know the education works because I get letters from around the country from officers telling me it saved their lives.”While this topic is dark and hard to think about, we believe it’s was important to support Bob’s resilience and passion for change. He’s a law enforcement leader that has moved from grief to compassion and is working to create an America safe for all of us. Read the rest of Bob’s story here. H/T The Kansas City Star, Washington Post, Southern Poverty Law Center
