Douglasville, Georgia-
“One Nation Against Invasion Patriot Front .US”
From the interstate, I saw the banner hanging on the overpass fence and was immediately outraged. How dare someone hang it in my community? Unacceptable.
I saw it on a Saturday afternoon, but admittedly forgot about it until I passed it again the following Tuesday. The upper portions had come undone, but it remained secured to the fence, obvious what it was. I stopped and removed it.
I spread out the 6’ x 14’ cloth banner on my driveway, took photos, and called the police. Google maps showed this bridge to be in the City of Douglasville, so I dialed their number. A kind and interested officer advised the bridge was patrolled by the sheriff’s office, but listened to my concerns about hate groups taking root in our community. I offered to send him a photo of the banner and asked that he make the department aware of it.
Next, I called the sheriff’s office, expressing my concerns to several officers as I was transferred around, eventually reaching the deputy who had been assigned to address the issue that very day, after having received several complaints from the public. He explained that he had not noticed the banner when patrolling or doing his personal driving, so he didn’t think it was a big a deal. He quickly became frustrated with the conversation, responding to my concerns that officers had driven by for several days and not removed it, complicit support for such a group, by making it my fault that I had not reported it immediately, and adding that I was being unreasonable for expecting the police to prevent all crime. I made it clear this was not my expectation, and that I was concerned about support for such a group within the department. He went on to tell me he didn’t think many folkx would have noticed the banner because he keeps his eyes focused on the lane in front of him when he is driving, rarely looking around. I found his comments odd. I ended the call by offering to share a photo of the banner or bring it in, something he did not think necessary, and requesting that he send my concerns up the chain of command. I provided my contact information and asked for a follow up.
I then emailed the photo to the address provided by the Douglasville officer, receiving an immediate response that my message had been blocked.
After eight weeks without follow up, I emailed Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds and Douglasville Police Chief Gary Sparks asking what is being done to make sure this doesn’t take root in our community or in their departments. Three weeks have passed without comment.
So, who are these guys and why am I so concerned? Patriot Front, formed after the 2017 unite the right rally in Charlottesville, is widely recognized as a hate group, with ProPublica describing them as “perhaps the most active white supremacist group in the nation” engaging “in a mix of vandalism and intimidation to foster anxiety.” The Anti-Defamation League found them to be “responsible for 80% of racist, antisemitic, and other hateful messages tracked in the U.S. last year,” with their 2020 activity more than doubling that of the prior year. The group is virtually all male, and sees themselves as the most virile and competent of hate groups, poking fun at the Proud Boys and Boogaloo movement. They recruit on college campuses and work to blend into any setting, believing it makes them more threatening when people don’t know who they are, and have to wonder about the stranger next to them in a public setting. Members warn against having girlfriends and advise against sharing their “activism,” citing women as a “weakness” that could hurt the individual and organization. Cautious about sharing their specific goals, the group posted online a manifesto vowing to reclaim the country and celebrating the European ancestors who “conquered” the continent. One member reported white men as “facing the harshest oppression from our ruling elite” and explained this as the reason white men commit mass shootings, calling it “lashing out.”
This is not a group I want to see in my community.
Notes
Debby Yoder 