A climate of vigilantism
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AFTER midnight on May 30, three people disguised as law enforcement officers entered the Arizona home of Gina Gonzalez and allegedly killed her husband and 9-year-old daughter. Shawna Forde, Jason Bush, and Albert Gaxiola, who police suspect broke in looking for drugs and money, were not there for personal profit. They wanted money for their offshoot of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, an organization that patrols the border for illegal crossings. Forde had long been known for harboring anti-immigration views that were considered extreme even by other members of the organization, and started her own Minuteman American Defense group.
Following Forde’s arrest, one Minuteman worried that all members would “be painted with the same broad brush.’’ His concern is fair. The Minutemen cannot be held accountable for every act of its members (or former members). But these murders - as well as the murder of Stephen Johns at the Holocaust Museum, allegedly by an anti-Semite; and of Dr. George Tiller for performing legal abortions - are a threat to our freedoms.
All Americans have the right to express their political beliefs. Still, alarmist rhetoric, like calling a doctor a baby killer, is made to court extremists. And some groups’ demonization of the government can have the effect of shouting “Fire!’’ in a crowded theater. Even when it does not radicalize, the climate of paranoia gives cover to those who espouse hate.
Vigilantism degrades the rule of law. Americans deserve to be secure in their identities and in the notion that decisions made by democratic process will not subject them to hatred and violence. That is called terrorism. It doesn’t improve policy, either. Those dissatisfied with border control can’t expect the government to do better if they add “vigilantes’’ to their list of concerns.
