When the plot to kidnap the sitting Governor of Michigan by a group called the Wolverine Watchmen was uncovered, some of us probably asked ourselves, “Is this really happening?” I know I did. The group was deemed dangerous enough for the FBI to infiltrate. Although it’s believed the group had only formed this year, it’s widely known that many of the members had been visible participants in the militia movement in Michigan for years, if not decades. Some members have also been tied to the Boogaloo movement, AKA the Boogaloo Bois.

They are a group that doesn’t claim any organizational structure but they sure seem to have all the makings of an organization. So far they’ve been involved with:

·      Plotting to kidnap or kill a sitting Governor.

·      Directly inciting Minneapolis riots after the death of George Floyd. A member shot up the police precinct that incited mobs to later loot and burn it. He was arrested in Texas.

·      Numerous members have been arrested of Federal gun charges.

·      One Michigan man died in a shootout when they attempted to arrest him. It’s alleged he also had white separatist ties.

·      A police officer was killed in Oakland CA by a member who was also an active duty Air Force Staff Sergeant. Contact between the Sergeant and members nationwide were said to include plans to attack other law enforcement officers and government facilities.

·      Three Boogaloo members were arrested in Las Vegas on domestic terrorism charges after looking to take advantage of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. They made bombs they intended to detonate at protests. All three were either current reservists or recently became ex-military.

·      Armed members have stormed the State Capitals in Michigan and North Carolina as well as the Federal Courthouse in Portland Oregon demanding States open back up. Other States like Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York have experienced similar armed events at government buildings.

·      A Maryland man was shot and killed by police during a no knock warrant for illegal firearm possession, His family insists he was not an extremist but members of the Boogaloo movement have claimed him as their own. On-line social media posts threaten a day a reckoning for his killing. His own social media posts indicate a connection.

·      At least two members of the movement attempted to join Hamas. Their plan was to raise funds to support the movement. They are now charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terror organization. They also were involved with the riots in Minneapolis. It’s alleged they belong to a sub-group of the Boogaloo movement called the “Boojahideen”. The term “White Jihad” has been used in social platforms to push their extremist rhetoric.

So who are the Boogaloo Bois? According to them, they are individuals who seek to bring about a second American Civil War they call the “Boogaloo”. Their enemy is the Federal government and left wing political opponents, which is why their reported involvement and support of a left wing organization like the BLM movement, is suspect.

The unorganized, seemingly better organized than we are made to think group, claim they are not built on racist ideology. Yet numerous members use racist and bigoted language along multiple social media platforms that implies there is a hidden agenda. Experts on militias and domestic terrorism point out the ‘Boogaloo’ started as a racist ⁽¹⁾ meme. Yes, some members are minorities. The only requirement to join appears to be a commitment to help facilitate the end of the Federal Government no matter what color one may be. How can the two facts coincide?

Those who call themselves Boogaloo come from groups like the Three Percenters, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, the Michigan Militia or similar groups. They can be neo-Nazis, black militants and members of the KKK, as long as they leave that ideology at the door and remember the main requirement is the defeat of the Federal Government and any leftist influence. For that reason they may be more of an ideology. They seem to be building an alliance of sorts through online resources. Ultimately, organization of the Boogaloo Bois may prove inevitable. Some members have already been called leaders.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Oath Keepers are believed to have a ⁽²⁾ membership around 25-35 thousand. If certain players were able to coordinate efforts between multiple groups then all of a sudden you could be looking at between 100-200 thousand members of fringe groups working together on some level. The Oath Keepers claim the most active duty Police, Military and First Responders. Their ability to work from the inside could make them a threat. That doesn’t mean all members of other groups actively participate or engage with the Boogaloo movement, but most members of other groups consider themselves anti-government so collaboration and cooperation is happening on some level. For comparison, National Guard Troops number around 450,000. Police number between 600-700 thousand. What side are the active duty police or military that pledged to a particular group? The numbers mean that within the US we have a private army splintered into different factions that are 25% the size of law enforcement and military. At this time not all groups get along. Some groups have accused the Oath Keepers of ⁽³⁾ not being racist enough.

With significant Boogaloos espousing racist ideology how can they claim they support BLM?  The simple answer is they don’t. They support anti-police. There’s a difference. Their intent is to cause mayhem. It’s not to bring about better sociological reforms for the black community. Consider the story of the Trojan horse. Images of fires burning and precincts destroyed take away sympathy from the white community. There’s a video online of the first major building attacked in Minneapolis during the protests. It was an Advance Autoparts store that was looted and burned to the ground, but first a white man with a gas mask, now referred to as “umbrella man”, is seen busting out all the windows. He avoided real participation in the BLM protest except for this solo event. Protesters actually confronted the man to ask him to stop his actions, but instead he became aggressive toward them. Breaking the windows absolutely worked in inciting an already angry mob.

It’s a simple but effective playbook. Incite; use the protest platform. Pass blame while taking no blame. What’s unclear is why BLM would ever consider an alliance. It should be clear that while both movements are anti-government that the objectives are completely different. Since the Bois are at best a loosely organized movement, it’s possibly only low level members get involved thinking they are there as actual support. It’s easier to pitch an idea if you believe it. There’s plenty of online racist rhetoric leading up to any protest that indicates there’s another piece to their involvement though. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It’s interesting that when Boogaloos have been permitted to participate where there’s also been rioting, there have been no recorded confrontation between the provocateurs and the Boogaloos who claim they are there to protect the event. Confrontations recorded have only been with protesters or protest organizers. It seems suspicious.

In a way, the BLM Movement has been a gift to White Nationalists. Not only does it appear the media, protesters and the public are being manipulated. It’s become a real recruitment opportunity. If you pretend on one hand to help the BLM movement it becomes easier to recruit police and military with the other hand or with a different group.

The psychology behind mob mentality and the manipulation of large crowds is well studied going back over a hundred years by such notables as Gustav Le Bon, Sigmund Freud and more recently Stephen Reicher. It doesn’t take much thought or planning to incite a mob that feels they have legitimate grievances. Organizers can lose control very quickly if they do not keep protesters moving and engaged with productive dialog. It’s no accident that many of the bad actors wait till after the organizers end their participation before they then move the crowds off into a different direction. There’s a scene in the movie Animal House where the late actor Doug Kenny (who’s playing the character Stork) steals the baton at the parade from the bandleader to divert the band into a alley that dead ends. It’s a scene that pokes fun at how easy it is to control a crowd.  Controlling a really angry crowd is even easier. A small group with a different agenda can easily pit main protagonists against their main rival. It just takes a nudge like breaking windows at an Advance Autoparts. The Bois and other groups may be playing both sides against each other. Although some groups have minority members, they can never be equals in any White Nationalist movement if their main objective of bringing down the government is realized. With vast numbers of the Bois having ties to Neo-Nazi groups and Militias that only accept White Nationalists, rest assured the true nature of the movement isn’t to help the BLM movement. Bringing down the government may be their first priority but going back to a white separatist country is the ultimate objective for many militia members.  

Throughout history, the other side has infiltrated protests ever since there were protests. Kings and Queens mastered crowd manipulation long ago by placing agents in among the crowds to focus the attention of the crowd elsewhere. ⁽⁴⁾ Gustave Le Bon, considered a foremost expert in crowd and herd behavior, believed that a collective mind would always emerge due to a crowd’s organization. If you can change the mood of a crowd with simple actions like angry words and damaging of property then the crowd becomes subject to manipulation from those trying to facilitate an often different agenda.

Violent mobs turn the support of sympathizers away from protesters and their agendas. When businesses get burned down and looted, then it’s easier to justify bringing in all the kings men like the police or even the National Guard. While many still sympathize over the original reason the protest started in the first place, it’s easier now to turn a blind eye. Who will the average person sympathize with? The storeowner who lost everything or the mob who burned down the business? A single person can affect and instigate a crowd. In turn that affects the police, news media and those at home watching it on CNN. It’s a militia recruiter’s dream.