Sovereign citizens use “paper terrorism” to intimidate, harass Sedona public officials
Growth in the sovereign citizen movement in Sedona has led to bogus legal filings designed to intimidate and harass public officials, requests by court officials to increase building security and escalated tensions between the movement’s adherents and local police. City officials have publicly downplayed the movement’s growth, but their internal communications reveal an awareness of—and…
Experts warn of radicalization pipeline as Sedona wellness communities, anti-government groups share space
Sedona’s iconic sandstone towers and mythic status as an anchor point of spiritual energy has drawn a global audience of wellness practitioners. But mixed within event schedules filled with drum circles and full moon ceremonies are trainings that weave together anti-government ideologies and improbable conspiracy theories, creating what experts are calling a pathway to radicalization.
‘Sovereign citizen’ filings flood Pima County, parallel national resurgence of controversial movement
Adherents of the sovereign citizen ideology have garnered a reputation for conflict with government officials and members of the public—conflicts that, in some cases, have turned violent. More commonly, they engage in so-called paper terrorism tactics, threatening and harassing people by inundating them with lawsuits and liens.
God-given rights: The nationwide spread of the ‘constitutional sheriff’
The Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association has for years railed against gun control laws, COVID public health mandates and alleged election fraud, ultimately presenting the sheriff as the ultimate arbiter of law. The group, which experts have labeled anti-democratic and anti-government, has also spread its ideology across the nation, seeking to become more mainstream…
‘Constitutional Sheriffs’ ideology expands to county government
In an expansion of its ideology that pushes a supreme authority for county sheriffs, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association is encouraging a nascent movement of so-called “constitutional counties.” The movement builds off of Second Amendment sanctuary counties in an attempt to shift power away from the state and federal government and into the…
California nonprofit linked to constitutional sheriff group
The Gorilla Learning Institute uses its tax-exempt status as a nonprofit to help fund other groups’ activities, including the Friends of CSPOA, a California chapter of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. The institute is led by Sacramento County Board Supervisors member Sue Frost, who says its name references the gorilla as a peaceful,…
VIDEO: In The Sheriff We Trust
A national group of sheriffs that claims its authority supersedes that of the state and federal government has spread its ideology to dozens of states in recent years, in part by gaining state accreditation for its taxpayer-funded law enforcement training. Some states and localities are pushing back, including in Texas, Washington and Nevada.
Corporate marijuana dispensaries flex financial muscle, overtake Arizona’s social equity program
Arizona’s social equity program created a path to entrepreneurship for individuals harmed by previous marijuana laws when the state legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021. But nearly two years since 26 social equity applicants were drawn from a lottery, existing corporate dispensaries have wielded their power to get a stake in at least half of the…
Proposed bill to ban suspensions for attendance violations falls short
Rep. Laura Terech, a Democrat, crafted a bill in response to an investigation by AZCIR and The Hechinger Report, which revealed for the first time the scope of the controversial disciplinary practice of suspending Arizona students for tardiness and truancy.
Despite warnings, safeguard to prevent extremist training for law enforcement removed
A rule change that lowers the bar for extremist organizations to radicalize law enforcement through training was enacted on April 5, despite a series of letters from civil rights groups urging Arizona’s governor and attorney general to take preemptive action. The groups are particularly worried about so-called “constitutional sheriff” training, which they say contains false…
Arizona-based sheriff group promotes members with ties to white nationalism
The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association has formally embraced some of its more radical members by promoting them into leadership positions. The public-facing change comes at a time of growth for the organization as it seeks to further expand its influence and ideology across the U.S.
The uncounted: People of color are dying at much higher rates than what COVID data suggests
Unspecific, unknown deaths rose 10 times more among Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people than among white Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new analysis.
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