Page 8 - Aruba Bank 24 JULY 2015
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U.S. NEWS A3
Thursday 23 July 2015
After Tennessee Shootings, Armed Citizens Guard Recruiters
Continued from Front A small group of armed citizens stand guard outside a Colorado Springs, Colo., Armed Forces “Recruiting stations need
Career Center Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Gun-toting citizens are showing up at military recruiting to be out in the public;
On Tuesday, the founder centers around the country, saying they plan to protect recruiters following last week’s killing of we need to be out where
and president of Oath four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tenn. young people are,” Lep-
Keepers, a Las Vegas- ley said. Most recruiters
based Constitution activist (Michael Ciaglo/The Gazette via AP) are Afghanistan and Iraq
group, issued a national war veterans, well trained
call to members to guard American public during U.S. Army Recruiting Com- years at recruiting centers: in dealing with shooters, he
centers. Many were al- this tragedy, we ask that mand spokesman Brian in Chattanooga last week, added.
ready guarding centers in citizens do not stand guard Lepley said, while tragic, and in Little Rock in 2009 in A group of veterans and
Tennessee, Arkansas and at our recruiting offices,” deadly incidents have a shooting that killed one their supporters began
Oklahoma, president Stew- Stenger said in a statement. happened only twice in six solider and injured another. guarding a Navy-Marine
art Rhodes said. recruiting station in Madi-
Rhodes said it’s “abso- son, Wisconsin.
lutely insane” that recruit- “Just civic pride,” said Da-
ers aren’t allowed to be vid Walters, a 30-year-old
armed. “They’re sitting Army veteran. “It’s good to
ducks,” Rhodes said Tues- show that people can still
day. “They’d be better off come together.”
if they were walking down In Hiram, Georgia, five
the streets of Baghdad, people stood outside a re-
because at least in Bagh- cruiting office Friday with
dad, they could move. their personal firearms as a
Here, they’re stationary.” show of support. They had
Capt. Jim Stenger, a Ma- a pop-up tent, a few lawn
rine Corps public affairs chairs and American flags,
officer for the recruiting dis- Police Chief Todd Vande
trict that includes parts of Zande said.
seven Midwestern states, “If it makes them feel bet-
said he hopes the gun-tot- ter as American citizens
ing civilians will go home. and they’re not doing any-
“While we greatly appre- thing illegal, then I’m all for
ciate the support of the it,” he said.q
Charges including hate crimes for accused Charleston shooter
ERIC TUCKER pal Church in downtown Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks at a news conference at ancestral pride but has
MEG KINNARD Charleston. the Justice Department in Washington. Lynch announced that also been used by white
Associated Press Roof, who is white, ap- Dylann Roof, the man accused of slaying of nine black church supremacists.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The peared in photos waving members in Charleston last month was indicted July 22, on 33 Federal officials had previ-
man accused of slay- rebel Confederate flags, federal counts, including hate crimes, firearms violations and ously said that the shoot-
ing of nine black church and survivors told police obstructing the practice of religion, which could include the ings generally meet the
members in Charleston that he hurled racial in- death penalty. legal requirements for a
last month was indicted sults during the attack. hate crime and that fed-
Wednesday on 33 feder- The shootings prompted (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) eral charges were likely.
al counts, including hate an abrupt shift in political Roof already faces state
crimes, firearms violations willingness to take down charges including nine
and obstructing the prac- the rebel flag from the counts of murder.
tice of religion, which could South Carolina Statehouse Hate crime cases are often
include the death penalty. grounds and renewed a challenging for the gov-
Attorney General Loretta movement to remove it ernment because it must
Lynch announced the fed- from the public sphere prove that a defendant
eral grand jury indictments around the South. was primarily motivated by
of 21-year-old Dylann Roof. The flag, flown by armies of a victim’s race or religion
The charges have been the secessionist pro-slavery as opposed to other fac-
expected since Roof was Confederacy during the tors frequently invoked by
arrested following the June Civil War, is claimed by defense attorneys, such as
17 shootings at Emanuel some white southerners as drug addiction or mental
African Methodist Episco- a symbol of regional and illness.q
