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Readers React: Armed militiamen at the border are dangerous and deserve no coverage in the L.A. Times

Robert Crooks is one of several armed militiamen who have been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border near Campo, Calif.
Robert Crooks is one of several armed militiamen who have been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border near Campo, Calif.
(John Gastaldo / For The Times)
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To the editor: I am appalled by the Nov. 20 article on the militias at the U.S.-Mexico border. The neutral representation of racially motivated groups of armed men illegally hunting human beings reflects how far toward complacency with fascism this country has moved.

The fact that one of the leaders in Arizona is a member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement is mentioned as if he were a member of the local Lions Club.

In reality, the men in this article are dangerous, armed fascists operating outside the law. That the “invasion” threat they are ostensibly responding to is a group of unarmed refugees fleeing violence goes virtually unmentioned.

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While the article noted that the militias are not funded by the Department of Defense, the fact that all official law enforcement bodies oppose such unlawful activity is not included. Yet, militiamen “Weasel” and “Little Dog” get ample play. Giving voice to the lunatic fringe is a terrible idea.

Shannon Speed, Topanga

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To the editor: Your article on unauthorized militias patrolling the border read like a celebration of militia member Robert Crooks, telling us about his patriotism and offering no critical examination of what it means for a citizen to take it upon himself to hunt Mexicans and Central Americans at the border.

While it is true that American history is filled with Indian hunters and slave patrols, it is not a history to be proud of. White settlers secured the land for themselves, exterminating indigenous peoples, enslaving Africans, engaging in imperial wars and today propping up dictators and enabling genocides.

Many of those attempting to cross the border flee the conditions that such racially inspired terror and violence produce. Shame on the L.A. Times for contributing to racial terror.

Sherene H. Razack, Los Angeles

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