Far-Right Sovereign Citizen In Gunfight With Harris County Sheriff Deputies-Threat To Democracy From The Right

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Harris County Sheriff deputies were involved today in a shootout with a so-called "sovereign citizen." The sovereign citizen was killed and an innocent woman was shot and seriously wounded in the gunfight.

From Houston TV station KPRC: 

In simple terms, a sovereign citizen is an individual who believes they are not subject to the laws and regulations of the government. They typically claim to possess a unique status or immunity that exempts them from legal authority. This ideology stems from a range of conspiracy theories and distorted interpretations of legal concepts. Sovereign citizens often engage in tactics such as filing frivolous lawsuits, creating fraudulent documents, or using obscure legal arguments to justify their actions. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “sovereign citizens engage in a large amount of criminal activity, including 1) harassment and retaliation tactics collectively known as “paper terrorism,” 2) scams and frauds, sometimes large in scope, and 3) violence, including armed standoffs, shootouts, murders and terrorist plots.” They reject the legitimacy of government institutions, including law enforcement, courts, and taxation systems.​

Above you see a tweet from Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on the matter. 

Right wing extremists are a threat to law enforcement across the country. And yet still police unions endorse far-right candidates. 

Just imagine if someone identified with Black Lives Matter or as a socialist had been in a shootout with cops that also injured an innocent bystander. What a big fuss that would be. It would be on all the radio shows and all the internets. Where is Crime Stoppers? Where are the public safety unions? 

The political extremism in America mostly comes from the right. It comes in the form of so-called sovereign citizens who go around doing whatever they want, & from the everyday dangerous radicalism of Republican Party.     

We should be clear and vocal about the real sources of the threats to our democracy. It is an active daily threat from the right. 
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