Domestic terrorismMore minorities join the sovereign citizen movement
The sovereign citizen movement, the roots of which lie in white separatism and anti-Semitism, now welcomes non-white adherents. Especially susceptible to recruitment efforts by the movement are African Americans – called “Moorish Americans” or “Moorish Natives” by movement members – from poor and neglected neighborhoods.“They are much more reflective of the demographics of society today,” a former FBI case manager notes.
A colltion of sovereign citizen license plates // Source: fbi.gov
At first regarded as a motley, racist, and, extreme right-wing collection of anarchists, the “sovereign citizen” movement has been slowly gaining ground.
As a matter of course, they reject all forms of federal government authority, including taxation, the authority of judges and the courts, and federal regulations. They maintain that they are sovereign in and of themselves and as such, have no need to accept, or submit to, any laws or regulations the government may impose.
The movement, the roots of which lie in white separatism and anti-Semitism, now welcomes non-white adherents.
Referred to as “Moorish Americans,” or “Moorish Natives,” African-Americans have begun to join the ranks of sovereign citizenry. The Kansas City Star reports that they have been engaging in recruitment activities in disaffected neighborhoods, which they consider to be disengaged from the normal legal or economic processes.
A common, if not universal, factor in all the permutations of the cause is the sense the adherents share that the world is changing and that they have no say about it, that his new world is being thrust upon them. These same adherents also believe strongly that the government is corrupt and out of control, and therefore has no jurisdiction over them.
The movement is perceived by many to be not much more than a collection of odd misfits, but the movement has a sinister side.
During the Ferguson riots, two men connected to the New Black Panther Party were arrested, and subsequently charged with attempting to acquire weapons. It was later determined that the two men were engaged in planning to kill two public officials and bomb a police station.
The two pleaded guilty in June and will be sentenced in federal court in St. Louis. Not as commonly known, one of the African-American defendants is an adherent of the generally bigoted and anti-Semitic sovereign citizen movement.
The Star points out that experts and authorities say the case shows the changes in the movement.
Thomas quotes Bob Harris, a former FBI caseworker, acknowledged the irony of a movement with white supremacist roots being joined by African Americans.
Today’s sovereigns, however, are different from those of previous decades, he said.
“They are much more reflective of the demographics of society today,” he told the Star. “You have white people, you have African-Americans, you have Asians, you have Native Americans. The sovereign citizen movement has really become a melting pot.”
And Moorish nationals are increasingly occupying a bigger portion of the pot, experts say.
