In early 1992 during the standoff between the FBI and white supremacist Randy Weaver, John Trochmann, a snowmobile dealer from Minnesota who retired and moved to Noxon, Montana, formed United Citizens for Justice to support Weaver. Trochmann and Weaver met through their mutual connections to the Aryan Nations in the Idaho panhandle. United Citizens for Justice quickly morphed into the Militia of Montana.
Militia Of Montana Racist And Anti-Semitic To The Core
Trochmann, and others in the white supremacist movement, began promoting far-right conspiracy theories while downplaying their ties to hardcore anti-Semitic and racist individuals and organizations. Very few people were watching the expansion of the “militia movement,” and those who were aware of them generally dismissed them as a bunch of kooks.
In 1994, the Montana Human Rights Network published A Season of Discontent, an expose of militia organizers and their connections to activists in the white supremacist movement. On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed, killing 168 people. Today it remains the largest domestic terror attack in American history. The Oklahoma City bombing brought the militia movement under the scrutiny of the media, the public, and law enforcement.
Militia Of Montana, The Freemen And Tactical Civics Are All The Same
Militia and other far-right organizations began trying to downplay their racist and anti-Semitic beliefs, instead donning a mantle of patriotism and local protection from unspecified threats.The most recent iteration of this tactic is found in Montana with a relatively unknown organization called Tactical Civics. Here in Cascade County, Tactical Civics has been very active. See our previous posts. https://wtf406.com/2023/03/lola-sheldon-galloway-brings-bill-on-behalf-of-convicted-felon-militia-group-leader/ and https://wtf406.com/2022/09/galloways-host-militia-fundraiser/
A Deep Dive By The Montana State News Bureau– Check It Out!
The Montana State News Bureau is running a multi-part series on Tactical Civics in Montana and other far right groups. The links below will take you to articles in the series. It is an excellent recitation of far right activity in Montana and here in Great Falls. (Note: You should not encounter a paywall to read these stories)