Gun-Wielding "Oath Keepers" Hired as Security at San Francisco Right-Wing Rally

[RandySF]

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The fate of the controversial 'Patriot Prayer' rally in San Francisco August 26 remains up in the air as the park permit is still under review.

And now new concerns have arisen since it's come to light that the rifle-toting, camouflage militia-men known as the 'Oath Keepers' have confirmed they will provide security for the event.

Mayor Ed Lee has made it clear that he believes the Golden Gate National Recreation Area should revoke the permit, which is still in its initial phase.

"It's not just [about free] speech and I think those that are [saying that], are missing the point," said Mayor Ed Lee, who admitted that he has huge security concerns over the planned event.


http://www.ktvu.com/news/274786545-story

[madaboutharry]

1. That is a frightening development.

[pnwmom]

2. Doesn't CA's law banning open-carry apply to "militia men"?

[RandySF]

4. Chrissy Field is a federal park

Open carry is allowe.

[Not Ruth]

5. They are probably licensed armed security guards or off duty cops

[RandySF]

7. No, they hired the "Oath Keepers"

[Not Ruth]

8. Oath Keepers are made up of people that have taken oaths, like cops and military

People that do security side gigs regularly.

"The organization claims on its website that full membership is open to "currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, police, fire-fighters, other first responders (i.e. State Guard, Sheriff Posse/Auxiliary, Search & Rescue, EMT, other medical 1st responders, etc.) AND veterans/former members of those services," and that others who support the organization's mission can become associate members."

[RandySF]

10. You skipped this

Oath Keepers is a far-right,[1][2] anti-government[3][4][5][6][7][a] American organization associated with the patriot movement and militia movement.[8][9] The group describes itself as a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders, who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."[10] It encourages members – some of whom are current and former U.S. military and law enforcement officers – not to obey orders which they believe would violate the United States Constitution. The organization claims a membership of 35,000.[11]


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers

[pnwmom]

15. Many of them are associates. And the others are largely retired and former -- and there's no way

to know how many are "former" because they didn't make the cut or were fired.

The "mission" is what makes them all questionable. We have the National and State guards and we don't need a group of self-appointed militia.

From the Southern Poverty Law Center, a trusted source (unlike the website of the far-right Oath Keepers):

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/oath-keepers

The Oath Keepers, which claims tens of thousands of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans as members, is one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today. While it claims only to be defending the Constitution, the entire organization is based on a set of baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy the liberties of Americans.

In Its Own Words

“Imagine that Herr Hitlery [Hillary Clinton] is sworn in as president in 2009. After a conveniently timed ‘domestic terrorism’ incident (just a coincidence, of course) … she promptly crams a United Nations mandated total ban on the private possession of firearms. … But Hitlery goes further, proclaiming a national emergency and declaring the entire militia movement (and anyone else Morris Dees labels ‘extremists’) to be ‘enemy combatants.’ … Hitlery declares that such citizens are subject to secret military detention without jury trial, ‘enhanced’ interrogation techniques, and trial before a military tribunal hand-picked by the dominatrix-in-chief herself. Hitlery then orders police, National Guard troops and active military to go house-to-house to disarm the American people and ‘black-bag’ those on a list of ‘known terrorists,’ with orders to shoot all resisters.”

—Stewart Rhodes, “Enemy at the Gates” column in S.W.A.T Magazine, April 2008

“John [Mc]Cain is a traitor to the Constitution. He should be tried for treason before a jury of his peers – which he would deny you. … He would deny you the right for trial to jury, but we would give him a trial by jury. Then after we convict him he should be hung by the neck until dead.”

–Rhodes, speaking in Tempe, Ariz., May 2015

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. When they run "wants and warrants" on these

Oath keeper bastards they end up arresting
most of them.

[dalton99a]

9. Oath Keeper was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping his own 7-year-old daughter

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/oath-keepers

[Turbineguy]

11. Shades of

Altamont.

[central scrutinizer]

12. Hell's Angels are not as whacko as Oath Keepers

But neither should be given any semblance of authority. This won't end well.

[Turbineguy]

13. You know, you're right!

I've had dealings with the Hell Angels.

[KelleyKramer]

14. That's the first thing I thought of too

And just like with the Stones event, this is a recipe for disaster