What’s a sovereign citizen? Trump rally gun suspect shows radical signs, sheriff says
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Vem Miller, the Nevada man arrested at a checkpoint in southern California allegedly en route to a Donald Trump campaign rally, was associated with a far-right movement called the Sovereign Citizens, according to the local sheriff.
Miller was arrested after police officers questioned him at a checkpoint and noticed his vehicle sported an irregular license plate. The license plate was “one that is homemade and indicative of a group of individuals that claim to be sovereign citizens,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters Sunday.
The Secret Service and other federal agencies said Trump was never in danger. Miller was released on $5,000 bail.
But what is the Sovereign Citizen movement? And why might law enforcement be concerned about someone associated with the group?
The Sovereign Citizen movement is a disparate collection of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of anti-government radicals who believe they’re not subject to local or national laws or authority. Many sovereign citizens, for example, believe they don’t have to pay taxes, and there have been several high-profile examples of members of the movement arguing their case − unsuccessfully − in the courts.
As opposed to an organized group or organization such as the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys, Sovereign Citizens are very much a “movement” said Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the Anti Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.
Content retrieved from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/10/13/sovereign-citizen-trump-rally-coachella-vem-miller/75665093007/.
