Oath Keepers in Kentucky

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The Oath Keepers is a major militia in the state of Kentucky. The militia has recruited hundreds of members from the state and has conducted activities in the state.

Contents

Presence

The Oath Keepers has a large presence in Kentucky. The militia has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the eight major anti-government groups in the state. [1] Kentucky has also been described as one of the major 'activity clusters' of the group. [2] As of 2021, the group has 513 members. None of the members were elected officials, though there were four military officers and three law enforcement officials. [3]

Activities

Protection of Kim Davis

In 2015, the Oath Keepers offered Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk who refused to provide same-sex marriage licenses, a security detail. [4] [5] [6] The leadership stated they already had troops and a presence on the ground at the time. [7] Davis' legal team declined and said that they did not condone the group's actions. [8] Shortly after, group leadership retracted the offer, but allowed members to go to Rowan County regardless. [9]

Actions in Louisville

During the Breonna Taylor protests, the Oath Keepers had troops in Louisville for four consecutive days. [2]

On the second day of protests, the group arrived in the city. Members stayed near demonstrators, and had limited confrontations with them. [10] [11] The militia guarded multiple businesses and a parking lot in the downtown area in what they described as a "security operation". [2] The businesses included a food market, gas station, pawn shop, and hotel. The Oath Keepers claimed the businesses had invited the group to the city, though only one business owner confirmed this. [12]

Troops guarded the businesses for three more days without incident and left. [2]

Later examination of the incident during the trial of Stewart Rhodes revealed that the business owner that requested help was actually doing so to keep her salon open in violation of government pandemic orders. At that point, Rhodes sent 'people with armed rifles' to Louisville. [13]

Insurgency plan

After the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Rhodes discussed an insurgency in the mountains of Kentucky. He proposed 'North Vietnamese-esque' tunnels under the mountains over hundreds of acres of land. Oath Keepers leaders would hide in the tunnels, guarded by 20+ troops above. [14] They would stay on high-ground above the water line, which Rhodes said would give them better fighting advantages. The members that stayed there would live off the land. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Brandon. "Kentucky and its history with active militia groups". spectrumnews1.com. Spectrum News 1. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wolfson, Aaron; Stall, Hampton. "Actor Profile: Oath Keepers". acleddata.com. ACLED. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Krista. "More than 500 Kentuckians have joined Oath Keepers extremist group, new analysis shows". courier-journal. Courier Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Landsbaum, Claire. "Armed Right-Wing Group Oath Keepers Offers to Protect Kim Davis". finance.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ↑ Dizard, Wilson. "Oath Keepers armed group offers to protect Kim Davis from arrest". america.aljazeera.com. Aljazeera America. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  6. ↑ Benen, Steve. "Oath Keepers offers Kentucky's Kim Davis a 'security detail'". msnbc.com. MSNBC. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ↑ Neiwert, David. "OATH KEEPERS HEAD TO KENTUCKY TO REPEAT BUNDY RANCH TACTICS IN KIM DAVIS DISPUTE". splcenter.org. SPLC. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Kim Davis Declines Offer From Oath Keepers To Protect Her From The Feds". talkingpointsmemo.com. Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Oath Keepers Release Statement, Cancels Security Detail Planned in Morehead". wmky.org. Moorhead State Public Radio. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Clemko, Robert. "Behind the armor: Men seek 'purpose' in protecting property despite charges of racism". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Choi, Inyoung; Shular, Daniel. "Louisville protesters faced off with an extremist militia on the 2nd day of unrest following no charges for the police involved in Breonna Taylor's killing". businessinsider.com. Business Insider. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ↑ James, Garry. "'Don't Give a Fuck': Protesters Confront Armed Militia in Louisville". thedailybeast.com. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  13. ↑ Zantow, Emily. "Feds shine light on defense testimony from Oath Keepers leader". courthousenews.com. Courthouse News. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Fuerer, Alan. "Justice Dept. Links Oath Keepers and Proud Boys Ahead of Capitol Riot". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  15. ↑ Fischer, Jordan. "Oath Keepers discussed building North Vietnamese-esque fighting tunnels in Kentucky mountain after Capitol riot, DOJ says". wusa9.com. WUSA 9. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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