I-5 Shooter hits vehicle, driver injured

 The I-5 Shooter has struck again.

According to OSP public information officer Capt. Tim Fox, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Oregon State Police troopers and emergency personnel responded to Interstate 5 northbound near milepost 37 in Jackson County for a report of a motorist that had been shot.  Preliminary investigation revealed that a female motorist was northbound when she was struck with a bullet.  She was transported to the hospital, treated and released for injuries.

OSP has reason to believe this shooting is linked to the previous shootings reported along Interstate 5 beginning in late May. 

Oregon State Police forensic scientists have responded to assist with the investigation.

OSP is working with the District Attorney’s Offices in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties. OSP is still requesting public’s assistance regarding this investigation.  If you have any information regarding last night’s shooting or any of the previous shootings please contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 1-800-442-2068 or *OSP and refer to case #SP20-235168

No further information is currently available for release as this in an ongoing investigation.

The shootings have been under investigation for the last several weeks. The shooting incidents were first reported after there were reports of someone shooting at several vehicles on Interstate 5 between Roseburg and Grants Pass.  There were five incidents reported.

The OSP soon expanded the scope of their investigation. On Aug. 11, investigators requested the public's assistance in identifying the person(s) responsible for shooting at vehicles on Interstate 5 in Douglas, Josephine and Jackson Counties.

From the time of the first request for assistance on July 14, several additional vehicles have been confirmed to have been struck by bullets. Previously only Douglas and Josephine Counties had confirmed bullet strikes. The geographic location has been expanded to include Jackson County.

If you have information regarding the shootings or if you believe your vehicle has been struck please contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 1-800-442-2068 or * OSP- Reference OSP Case #SP20-173444.

Highway snipers aren't something new. And, unfortunately, have been increasing over the last few years.

• During October 2002,  John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the D.C. or Beltway Snipers, carried out a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others were critically wounded in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia.

• The Ohio highway sniper attacks were a series of 24 sniper attacks along Interstate 270 and other nearby highways in the central part of the U.S. state of Ohio (mostly around Columbus) against traffic, homes, and a vacant school building in the Hamilton Local School district in Obetz, Ohio. The shootings began in May 2003 and continued for several months. One person was killed (62-year-old Gail Knisley, killed on November 25, 2003), and the shootings caused widespread fear. The suspect, Charles A. McCoy Jr., was arrested in Las Vegas on March 17, 2004. McCoy, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1996, stood trial in 2005. The first trial with death penalty charges resulted in a hung jury on May 9, 2005, most likely due to McCoy's severe mental illness. Rather than face a retrial, McCoy accepted a plea arrangement where he avoided the death sentence. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison on August 9, 2005.

• The Phoenix freeway shootings, also known as the I-10 shootings, were a series of eleven incidents that occurred between August 27 and September 10, 2015, along Interstate 10 and State Route 202 in Phoenix, Arizona. Each incident resulted in projectile damage to cars, and one girl was injured. Leslie Allen Merritt, Jr. was arrested in Glendale on Sept. 18. Police initially claimed that Merritt held anti-government and anti-police views. One day after his arrest, police announced that they had linked the first four shootings to a pistol owned by Merritt. He was charged with fifteen felony counts, including carrying out a drive-by shooting, aggravated assault, unlawfully discharging a firearm, disorderly conduct, and endangerment; prosecutors also considered filing terrorism charges, but ultimately did not, as terrorism-related laws focused primarily on protecting public utilities and did not encompass freeway shootings. All charges were dropped in April 2016 and Merritt later filed a lawsuit against state officials. To date, no one else has been arrested and charged.

• Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman (also known as Serial Shooter) are two gunmen who committed multiple drive-by shootings in Phoenix, Arizona between May 2005 and August 2006. They targeted random pedestrians. The investigations were simultaneous to the search for the Baseline Killer, who was also committing random murders and sexual assaults in the Phoenix area. The Serial Shooters' last crime occurred July 30, 2006 in Mesa. According to police, Robin Blasnek, 22, was shot and killed at approximately 11:15 p.m. while walking from her parents' house to a friend's house after having an argument with her boyfriend. On August 3, Phoenix police released a statement linking Blasnek's murder to the Serial Shooter, citing forensic evidence and other similarities to the Serial Shooters' past crimes. Prior to that, they shot pedestrians, cyclists, dogs and horses. Phoenix police originally believed that the Serial Shooter was a single individual responsible for 4 murders and 25 shootings beginning in May 2005, and that a series of 13 shootings in the same area were the work of another offender. However, on July 11, 2006, investigators revealed that they believed the two series of shootings were related. Dieteman was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Hausner was sentenced to death, and committed suicide in prison. Investigators believe they were responsible for eight murders and at least 29 other shootings. The victims were: David Estrada, 20, shot to death on June 29, 2005. Nathaniel Shoffner, 44, murdered on Nov.11, 2005 while attempting to protect a dog from being shot. Jose Ortiz, 44, was murdered on Dec. 12, 2005. Marco Carillo, 28, murdered on Dec. 29, 2005. Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz, 20, shot and killed by Dieteman on May 2, 2006, as Hausner drove.

• The Maryvale serial shooter (also known as the Serial Street Shooter) is a serial killer who was linked to twelve separate shootings resulting in nine deaths and three injuries across Phoenix, Arizona in 2015 and 2016, mainly in the Maryvale neighborhood. On May 8, 2017, Aaron Saucedo was charged with the shootings and an additional two homicides.

• On May 4, 2018, Rex Whitmere Harbour went on a highway shooting spree -- fortunately, no one was killed. After the terrifying shooting spree Friday afternoon, which injured two people and left at least seven vehicles with bullet holes, Harbour killed himself.  According to law enforcement, Harbour perched himself on the side of Georgia 365, just outside Atlanta. Hiding in the wooded area made him harder to see, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said. He had with him an small arsenal of at least five guns and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, the sheriff also reported.

• In April 2014, Mohammed Pedro Whitaker was arrested as a suspect in as many as 12 highway shootings, a spree that has gripped the Kansas City area for a month. No one was killed in the shootings and three people were wounded. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Police say Whitaker fired shots at vehicles often before they reached a highway exit ramp. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and several local police departments cooperated in the investigation. The shooting started March 8 and the last reported incident was April 6. But it wasn’t until the following day that an analyst with the police department pointed out that the shootings could be the work of a serial shooter, prompting a wide investigation.

Rogue River -- Don't Screw This Up.

It looks like some of Rogue River feels that racism isn't a problem. And, the white people feel that if they aren't being discriminated against, then Blacks, Asians, Latinx and others aren't victimized.
Now, other posts have some Rogue River residents fine with the You Are Enough event. That's a good sign. Because, Rogue River has the chance to do the right thing and open up a dialogue with others.

Because if  not, it will not look good upon the Rogue River community.  And, that's their fault. That porch monkey remark . . . .

 

You Are Enough Rally Set For Rogue River Aug. 29

 Organizers hope to open a dialogue, understanding

By Brad Smith

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. -- A special rally is planned for Aug. 29, including a march, a BBQ and some entertainment -- an event aimed at raising awareness of racial dynamics in Rogue River.

“We call it 'You Are Enough,’” said event organizer Dominique Toyer. “It’s a peaceful, family friendly  event with the goals of opening a dialogue with the community and promoting an understanding. There are people in Rogue River who feel there's a problem with racism. They see it, they've experienced it. They want to talk about it, again, with the hopes of making the community aware of the problem.”

Toyer is part of the Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity, located here in southern Oregon. She was active in the BLM rallies held in June and has participated in events held elsewhere in Oregon, most recently in Coos Bay. She appeared at a Rogue River city council workshop a few weeks ago and talked about racism in the community.

“I know it made some of the councilors uncomfortable. It’s not an easy thing to discuss nor to acknowledge,” she said. “But, if you ignore the problem -- it’s not going away. It’ll fester and get worse. No one wants to think that something bad happens in their town. But, unfortunately, it does happen and you need to face it, talk about it.”

Mayor Wayne Stuart and city administrator Mark Reagles both felt Toyer was “very brave” for coming to the meeting and discussing the issue. However, neither agreed that there was a problem.

“We’re a very diverse community, we don’t have a problem with racism here,” Stuart said, “I don't think it’s an issue.”

Rogue River isn’t that diverse -- not with nearly 94 percent of residents white and the rest made up of various other races. And, when looking at local social media posts, many residents feel that anyone associated with the BLM movement is a “Marxist” or “terrorist.” A number of current and former residents contacted the The Rogue Free Press and shared their experiences with racism in Rogue River. The local VFW and some businesses were noted as some of the biggest offenders.

In short, there’s a problem.

“The best way to address something like this is by opening a dialogue,” Toyer said. “That’s our goal. Dialogue. Awareness. Share an understanding. All of that leads to a better community.”

Toyer said at 10 a.m. Aug. 29, there would be a march through town followed by a barbeque at Palmerton Park. People will speak about their experiences being biracial and some entertainment is planned.”

“I hope people will come out and join us,” she said. “It’s going to be a good time.”

Toyer said brochures about the event will be distributed throughout Rogue River sometime this week or so. In the meantime, other events are planned throughout the Rogue Valley and beyond.

“I want a better world for my son,” she said. “I want a better world for all children. That’s why we do this.”

Saturday, Aug. 29, will be a defining moment for Rogue River. It will be interesting to see how some residents will react.

Toyer is a member of the Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity. It's been corrected and The Rogue Free Press apologizes for the mistake.

Biggs Faces Hate Crime Charges

By Brad Smith

MEDFORD, Ore. -- A man who thought he would violently disrupt the June Black Lives Matter rallies have gotten more than he bargained for.

During the June 1 BLM rally, Christopher Ryan Biggs, 38, White City, allegedly drove his truck into a crowd of BLM protesters -- which got him hit with a hate crime. Now, the Jackson County DA’s Office has filed additional charges against Biggs, particularly using his truck as a weapon.

Biggs already faces first-degree crime bias -- a felony charge -- as the DA’s Office alleges he purposely placed others in “fear of imminent serious physical injury” because of his “perception of the race, color, religion, national origin or sexual orientation” of the alleged victims, court records say.

According to the DA’s Office, it’s alleged that Biggs was “motivated by prejudice” as he sped up his black Dodge Ram pickup and drove into some BLM protesters. Deputy DA Michael Cohen filed the charges in Jackson County Circuit Court on Aug. 12.

According to an affidavit filed by the Medford Police Dept., at around 4:30 p.m. June 1, MPD officers reportedly saw Biggs’ Dodge pickup approach BLM protesters, who were located at East Main Street and North Central Avenue. The officers reported Biggs’ pickup was moving at a “high rate of speed” as it drove into the crowd. The officers also reported protesters screamed and the truck did hit one person, who sustained minor injuries.

According to court records, MPD officers reviewed a number of videos. They felt it wasn’t safe for Biggs to drive the way he did.

Biggs, on his part, has claimed he was downtown looking for his daughter after her vehicle was allegedly swarmed by protesters. He also alleged protesters struck his truck and tried to climb inside.

However, MPD officers found no video footage supporting Biggs’ claim. And, one MPD officer reportedly heard Biggs scream “Fucking queers” at protesters before the alleged incident. Biggs said someone in another truck shouted the slur but one MPD officer said they heard (Biggs) yell the slur.

On social media, supposedly staunch Blue Lives Matter supporters were angered by the MPD officers’ statements and were questioning “Back the Blue.”

Biggs’ next court appearance is set for Oct. 12. As of press time, Biggs has refused a court appointed public defender and said he would act as his own defense.

According to court records, in the past Biggs has been arrested for fourth-degree assault, harassment, some traffic offenses and procuring alcohol for a minor.

Is Rogue River Racist?

A BLM activist asks Rogue River leaders to address racism, Aug. 29 march and BBQ planned

======================

Note: An asterisk (*) denotes someone interviewed but requested their identity kept confidential out of personal concerns. The Rogue Free Press does work with vetted confidential and anonymous sources.

By

Brad Smith

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. -- A member of Southern Oregon’s Black Lives Matter organization and Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity appeared before the Rogue River city council during their Aug. 6 workshop meeting.

Dominique Toyer said she went to the meeting to discuss “racial issues” that she feels exist in their community.

“Over a period of time, we’ve seen that some towns might be oblivious to the possible racism that exists,” she said. “Most often, it’s there to some degree. Talking about it makes some uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. But, it needs to be discussed.”

According to both Wikipedia and the official website, BLM is a decentralized movement advocating for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against Black people. While Black Lives Matter can primarily be understood as a decentralized social movement, an organization known simply as Black Lives Matter exists as a decentralized network with about 16 chapters in the United States and Canada. The broader movement and its related organizations typically advocate against police violence towards black people, as well as for various other policy changes considered to be related to black liberation.

In July 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin 17 months earlier, in February 2012. The movement became nationally recognized for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown—resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, a city near St. Louis—and Eric Garner in New York City. Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election. The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016. The overall Black Lives Matter movement is a decentralized network of activists with no formal hierarchy.

Not surprisingly, BLM has gained a number of detractors since its inception more than seven years ago -- some calling the movement “Marxist” in nature. However, the independent nonpartisan fact checking website PolitiFact found the claim to be more complex than some think.

Toyer emailed her PowerPoint presentation the morning of the meeting.

“Most places, they have a laptop to use and so on,” she said. “When I got there -- well, nothing. So, when I had the chance to speak, I had to wing it.”

Toyer gave Mayor Wayne Stuart and the councilors an example of how American history has been whitewashed over the years. She told them the story about Phillis Wheatley, a slave who became the first African-American author of a book of poetry.

“Back then, many people didn’t think that a Black slave was capable of writing poetry,” she said. “In 1772, Phillis had to defend herself in a Boston court -- John Erving, Reverend Charles Chauncey, John Hancock, Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, and his lieutenant governor Andrew Oliver -- were there. The court finally sided with Phillis. That's something that's not covered in our history but should be."

Toyer knew she was going over her time limit but wanted to give another example.

A more personal one.

Toyer's grandmother works for White City VA offices. A few years ago, a vindictive domiciliary resident called 911 and reported that she was seen driving under the influence -- she wasn't. After getting home, Toyer's grandmother was drinking some wine when officers from the Medford Police Dept. showed up and arrested her for DUII. The case went to trial and all charges were dismissed.

“I was using this as an example of systemic racism and profiling. Even law enforcement overreach,” she said. “That’s when a police officer tried to explain why it was done that way. That’s when I said he -- or any law enforcement officer -- shouldn't use their badges for bullying.

“That’s when it got quiet and everyone seemed very uncomfortable.”

City administrator Mark Reagles said Chief Curtis Whipple was at the meeting and had spoken up.

“I really didn’t get the gist of what was said,” he explained.

Toyer thanked Stuart and the councilors for their time -- then left.

“I want to go back,” she said. “I plan on going back at some point. I want to continue the dialogue with Rogue River.”

Reagles said Toyer certainly left an impression on the councilors.

“Someone commented that (Toyer) was very brave for coming and talking about this,”  he said.

Reagles disagrees with the idea that Rogue River has problems with racism.

“I’ve lived here for a long time and I haven’t seen any racism. No problems. Rogue River doesn’t have problems like that,” he said.

Unfortunately, he is wrong.

According to the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the city was 93.3 percent White, 0.8 percent African American, 1.2 percent Native American, 0.4 percent Asian, 2.1 percent from other races and 2.2 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.3 percent of the population.

A very white community.

One with racial issues. For example:

• Joe McPherson is a business owner, The Double R Pub. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, McPherson has made a number of racial slurs such as “Kung Flu” or the “Asian Flu” on social media. He doubles down when confronted and others -- mainly Rogue River residents -- have defended him and repeated the very same slurs. Most echoed terms used by Trump.

• During a 2016 9/11 ceremony held by VFW Post 4116, now deceased member Chuck Spark said that if anyone took a knee during the event, there would be “trouble.” Especially, if that acted like that "Black SOB Colin Kaepernick." During a conversation with Mark Poling -- VFW member and city councilor -- Kaepernick’s name was mentioned. Another VFW member overheard the conversation and said, “Kaepernick -- where’s the goddamned KKK when you need them the most?” Poling said nothing and laughed.

• *Diane Hawkins said she was invited to have dinner with friends at the VFW. “This was when President Obama was in office. People were repeatedly saying the N-word, others talked about lynching (Obama) like they did to Blacks a long time ago and said a cross should be burned on the White House lawn. It was disgusting. I’ve never been back there. Filthy bigots.”

• Sherry Prudhon, VFW Auxiliary president, routinely made comments to the press about immigrants and refugees being a drain on America and taking away resources from veterans.

• Michael Vieira, a Rogue River resident, made social media comments on how no one is allowed to criticize “the Zionist Jews” and people like Mel Gibson have to apologize or else never work again.

• *Sutter Kane, who has spent a number of years chronicling the activities of area white supremacists and right wing extremists, said Earl Shamblin, Rogue River’s former police chief who died earlier this year, was very racist. Family members and close friends, known as the “Shamblin Mafia,” made it known they would make a Black person’s life “miserable” if they ever got “uppity” or “forgot their place.” Another former police chief, Ken Lewis, was overheard making anti Islamic comments, derogatory comments about the LGBTQ community and other minority groups. To Lewis' credit, however, he did clean up the Rogue River Police Dept., Kane said. "He got rid of Shamblin's friends, who were just as bad as Earl. From that point on, Shamblin had it out for Lewis."

• During a Rogue River planning commission meeting, someone preparing a PowerPoint turned on her laptop and there was an image of her son on it, next to his bike. A Japanese motorcycle. One of the commissioners said, “Get rid of that goddamned Jap rice rocket.” Most laughed but no one rebuked the commissioner.

• For many years, a Rogue River church used its ad space in the Rogue River Press to run anti-Islamic diatribes. The congregation members never complained nor did the readers.

Yes.

Rogue River has a problem.

It’s not known if and when the community will ever admit to it.

Mayor Wayne Stuart contacted me early Friday morning, on speakerphone with Reagles. He said Toyer contacted him and asked to appear before the council.

"I was curious about what she had to present," he said. "So, I agreed to have her on the agenda -- and felt it was important enough to have her speak for about 25 minutes or so. It was a very interesting presentation and eye opening. I'm glad she reached out to us."

Like Reagles, Stuart felt there wasn't a problem with racism in Rogue River. Having lived in the community for many years, he said he's never seen it.

"However, if someone feels that there's a problem, they should approach the council and tell us about it," he said.

I posted the initial story to the Rogue River Oregon Facebook group. Many reacted with hostility and said there was no racism. One man even said that since Mexican restaurants are very popular in Rogue River, that was a sign of no racism existing in the community.

Yes.

That's what he said.

However, a number of people did talk about their experiences with racism. A few talked about how racism was a reason why they left Rogue River and would never come back. One person talked about the time when a POC family moved into the neighborhood . . . and had neighbors talk about wanting to get rid of the family because they didn't belong. Some talked about negative experiences at the VFW post and some local businesses.

From one reader:

I was riding around Rogue River with a friend one day, this man gave me that dirty look of disgust. My friends reply was, “There are Mexicans in Oregon, chill out he’s not being racist.” Privileged. My favorite Italian restaurant in Southern Oregon is Paisano’s. I appreciate the people that work there and obviously enjoy their dishes. But walking in there is always something that I would have to worry about. I would just have to put my blinders on and ignore the racial slurs and stereotypes. My problems of being tanned year round in a white ass town 🙄 Patti’s Kitchen in Gold Hill, yikes! Love their biscuits and gravy but definitely not the ambiance. A family was bothered because there was a wait and I was occupying a small booth to myself. I uncomfortably picked up and left after her obvious remarks then she proudly says, “That’s right, you should know better”. Are the majority of Oregonians racist? Hell yes! And you ask why I’m pissed off.

Most, when they came forward with their stories and experiences, were met with scorn, name-calling, accused of lying or told to move.

And, of course, threats of violence.

It's understandable why some people don't want to believe racism and other societal ills exist in their community. Some don't want to think that their family and friends would ever embrace racist views. A small town like Rogue River is almost a utopia, devoid of big city problems. Some just don't want to accept the fact that racism and the like exist. They don't want to think ill of their hometown.

While some honestly are, well, naive in their umwelt -- there are those who are quite fine with embracing racism and hatred. It's happening in Rogue River. Gold Hill. Wimer. Phoenix. Talent. It happens everywhere.

Dominique Toyer did a commendable thing by reaching out to the Rogue River leadership and Stuart did something positive by willing to hear her out. That's how a dialogue is started and, hopefully, an understanding is eventually reached. One can only hope it'll happen in Rogue River.

However, judging by comments made by some Rogue River residents, they don't want a dialogue -- let alone an understanding. No, they're comfortable with the lies spread about the BLM movement and spreading false information about those killed because of police brutality or victim shaming Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery. Or echoing racist dog whistles like "black on black" crime. They cloak themselves in rabid nationalism -- no, not patriotism -- conspiracy theories, faked videos and the hateful ramblings of Trump and his ilk.

Those people are the problem.

Meantime, Toyer is planning on talking with other communities and has been involved in rallies throughout the region, most recently Coos Bay.

“It’s a very important time for our country,” she said. “People need to wake up and see the reality that’s racism and how it’s hurting us,” she said. “I want a better world for my son -- and everyone else’s sons and daughters. We want a better world with no more Trayvon Martins, Tamir Rices or George Floyds. That’s why I’m doing this -- and I’m not giving up.”

Toyer said an event is being planned for Aug. 29. Starting at 10 a.m. that Saturday, there will be a march followed by a BBQ at Palmerton Park. There will be a mic open for biracial people to speak about their experiences, she said. Some performances are planned as well.

It's called "You Are Enough," she said.

"This is a peaceful gathering and I hope folks will stop by," Toyer said. "This is how you open a dialogue with others and cultivate an understanding. That's how things change for the better. In the meantime, we're printing up brochures and will be passing them throughout Rogue River soon."

This could be a defining moment for the Rogue River community. A positive one, some hope.

Toyer is a member of the Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity. It's been corrected and The Rogue Free Press apologizes for the mistake.

PolitiFact BLM:

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/jul/21/black-lives-matter-marxist-movement/

OSP Investigating Interstate Shootings

The Oregon State Police is requesting the public's assistance in identifying the person(s) responsible for shooting at several vehicles on Interstate 5 between Roseburg and Grants Pass. 

In the last several weeks OSP has investigated 5 vehicles that have been struck by bullets on Interstate 5 between milepost 67 and 100.  No injuries have been reported.

If you are traveling in the area and believe your vehicle has been struck with a bullet please call 911, note the time, location and if possible continue out of the area.  

The OSP soon expanded the scope of their investigation. On Aug. 11, investigators requested the public's assistance in identifying the person (s) responsible for shooting at vehicles on Interstate 5 in Douglas, Josephine and Jackson Counties.

From the time of the first request for assistance on July 14, 2020 several additional vehicles have been confirmed to have been struck by bullets.

Previously only Douglas and Josephine Counties had confirmed bullet strikes. The geographic location has been expanded to include Jackson County.

No injuries have been reported.

If you are traveling on Interstate 5 and believe your vehicle has been struck with a bullet please call 911. Note the time, location and if possible continue out of the area.

If you have information regarding the shootings or if you believe your vehicle has been struck please contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 1-800-442-2068 or * OSP- Reference OSP Case #SP20-173444.

Highway snipers aren't something new. And, unfortunately, have been increasing over the last few years.

• During October 2002,  John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the D.C. or Beltway Snipers, carried out a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others were critically wounded in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia.
• The Ohio highway sniper attacks were a series of 24 sniper attacks along Interstate 270 and other nearby highways in the central part of the U.S. state of Ohio (mostly around Columbus) against traffic, homes, and a vacant school building in the Hamilton Local School district in Obetz, Ohio. The shootings began in May 2003 and continued for several months. One person was killed (62-year-old Gail Knisley, killed on November 25, 2003), and the shootings caused widespread fear. The suspect, Charles A. McCoy Jr., was arrested in Las Vegas on March 17, 2004. McCoy, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1996, stood trial in 2005. The first trial with death penalty charges resulted in a hung jury on May 9, 2005, most likely due to McCoy's severe mental illness. Rather than face a retrial, McCoy accepted a plea arrangement where he avoided the death sentence. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison on August 9, 2005.
• The Phoenix freeway shootings, also known as the I-10 shootings, were a series of eleven incidents that occurred between August 27 and September 10, 2015, along Interstate 10 and State Route 202 in Phoenix, Arizona. Each incident resulted in projectile damage to cars, and one girl was injured. Leslie Allen Merritt, Jr. was arrested in Glendale on Sept. 18. Police initially claimed that Merritt held anti-government and anti-police views. One day after his arrest, police announced that they had linked the first four shootings to a pistol owned by Merritt. He was charged with fifteen felony counts, including carrying out a drive-by shooting, aggravated assault, unlawfully discharging a firearm, disorderly conduct, and endangerment; prosecutors also considered filing terrorism charges, but ultimately did not, as terrorism-related laws focused primarily on protecting public utilities and did not encompass freeway shootings. All charges were dropped in April 2016 and Merritt later filed a lawsuit against state officials. To date, no one else has been arrested and charged.
• Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman (also known as Serial Shooter) are two gunmen who committed multiple drive-by shootings in Phoenix, Arizona between May 2005 and August 2006. They targeted random pedestrians. The investigations were simultaneous to the search for the Baseline Killer, who was also committing random murders and sexual assaults in the Phoenix area. The Serial Shooters' last crime occurred July 30, 2006 in Mesa. According to police, Robin Blasnek, 22, was shot and killed at approximately 11:15 p.m. while walking from her parents' house to a friend's house after having an argument with her boyfriend. On August 3, Phoenix police released a statement linking Blasnek's murder to the Serial Shooter, citing forensic evidence and other similarities to the Serial Shooters' past crimes. Prior to that, they shot pedestrians, cyclists, dogs and horses. Phoenix police originally believed that the Serial Shooter was a single individual responsible for 4 murders and 25 shootings beginning in May 2005, and that a series of 13 shootings in the same area were the work of another offender. However, on July 11, 2006, investigators revealed that they believed the two series of shootings were related. Dieteman was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Hausner was sentenced to death, and committed suicide in prison. Investigators believe they were responsible for eight murders and at least 29 other shootings. The victims were: Other victims included: David Estrada, 20, shot to death on June 29, 2005. Nathaniel Shoffner, 44, murdered on Nov.11, 2005 while attempting to protect a dog from being shot. Jose Ortiz, 44, was murdered on Dec. 12, 2005. Marco Carillo, 28, murdered on Dec. 29, 2005. Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz, 20, shot and killed by Dieteman on May 2, 2006, as Hausner drove.
• The Maryvale serial shooter (also known as the Serial Street Shooter) is a serial killer who was linked to twelve separate shootings resulting in nine deaths and three injuries across Phoenix, Arizona in 2015 and 2016, mainly in the Maryvale neighborhood. On May 8, 2017, Aaron Saucedo was charged with the shootings and an additional two homicides.
• On May 4, 2018, Rex Whitmere Harbour went on a highway shooting spree -- fortunately, no one was killed. After the terrifying shooting spree Friday afternoon, which injured two people and left at least seven vehicles with bullet holes, Harbour killed himself.  According to law enforcement, Harbour perched himself on the side of Georgia 365, just outside Atlanta. Hiding in the wooded area made him harder to see, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said. He had with him an small arsenal of at least five guns and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, the sheriff also reported.
• In April 2014, Mohammed Pedro Whitaker arrested as a suspect in as many as 12 highway shootings, a spree that has gripped the Kansas City area for a month. No one was killed in the shootings and three people were wounded. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Police say Whitaker fired shots at vehicles often before they reached a highway exit ramp. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and several local police departments cooperated in the investigation. The shooting started March 8 and the last reported incident was April 6. But it wasn’t until the following day that an analyst with the police department pointed out that the shootings could be the work of a serial shooter, prompting a wide investigation.

Enemies, Foreign And Domestic

What do you think? Will it come down to this?

I've provided the link at the bottom.

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Dear General Milley: 

As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, you are well aware of your duties in ordinary times: to serve as principal military advisor to the president of the United States, and to transmit the lawful orders of the president and Secretary of Defense to combatant commanders. In ordinary times, these duties are entirely consistent with your oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” 

We do not live in ordinary times. The president of the United States is actively subverting our electoral system, threatening to remain in office in defiance of our Constitution. In a few months’ time, you may have to choose between defying a lawless president or betraying your Constitutional oath. We write to assist you in thinking clearly about that choice. If Donald Trump refuses to leave office at the expiration of his constitutional term, the United States military must remove him by force, and you must give that order. 

Due to a dangerous confluence of circumstances, the once-unthinkable scenario of authoritarian rule in the United States is now a very real possibility. First, as Mr. Trump faces near certain electoral defeat, he is vigorously undermining public confidence in our elections. Second, Mr. Trump’s defeat would result in his facing not merely political ignominy, but also criminal charges. Third, Mr. Trump is assembling a private army capable of thwarting not only the will of the electorate but also the capacities of ordinary law enforcement. When these forces collide on January 20, 2021, the U.S. military will be the only institution capable of upholding our Constitutional order.

There can be little doubt that Mr. Trump is facing electoral defeat. More than 160,000 Americans have died from COVID 19, and that toll is likely to rise to 300,000 by November. One in ten U.S. workers is unemployed, and the U.S. economy in the last quarter suffered the greatest contraction in its history. Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. The Economist estimates that Mr. Trump’s chances of losing the election stand at 91 percent.   

Faced with these grim prospects, Mr. Trump has engaged in a systemic disinformation campaign to undermine public confidence in our elections. He has falsely claimed that mail-in voting is  “inaccurate and fraudulent.” He is actively sabotaging the U.S. Postal Service in an effort to delay and discredit mail-in votes. He has suggested delaying the 2020 election, despite lacking the authority to do so. 

The stakes of the 2020 election are especially high for Mr. Trump; in defeat, he will likely face criminal prosecution. The Manhattan District Attorney is investigating the Trump Organization for possible bank and insurance fraud related to the overvaluation of financial assets. New York’s Attorney General is conducting similar investigations, having successfully subpoenaed Trump’s financial records from Deutsche Bank. Mr. Trump allegedly pressured the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain to pressure the British Government to move the British Open golf tournament to Trump Turnberry Resort in Scotland. This incident is but one of many examples of self-dealing that may lead to federal criminal charges against the president.

Given this dizzying array of threats not merely to his political prospects, but also his liberty and wealth, Mr. Trump is following the playbook of dictators throughout history: he is building a private army answerable only to him. When Caesar faced the prospect of a trial in Rome, he did not return to face his day in court. He unleashed an army personally loyal to him alone on the Roman government. No student of history, Mr. Trump nevertheless appears to be following Caesar’s example. The president’s use of militarized Homeland Security agents against domestic political demonstrations constitutes the creation of a paramilitary force unaccountable to the public. The members of this private army, often lacking police insignia or other identification, exist not to enforce the law but to intimidate the president’s political opponents.

These powerful crosscurrents—Mr. Trump’s electoral defeat, his assault on the integrity of our elections, his impending criminal prosecution, and his creation of a private army—will collide on January 20. Rather than accept the peaceful transfer of power that has been the hallmark of American democracy since its inception. Mr. Trump may refuse to leave office. He would likely offer as a fig leaf of legitimacy the shopworn lies about election fraud. Mr. Trump’s acolytes in right-wing media will certainly rush to repeat and amplify these lies, manufacturing sufficient evidence to provide a pretext of plausibility. America’s greatest Constitutional crisis since the Civil War will come about by a president who simply refuses to leave office. 

America’s political and legal institutions have so atrophied that they are ill-prepared for this moment. Senate Republicans, already reduced to supplicant status, will remain silent and inert, as much to obscure their complicity as to retain their majority. The Democrat-led House of Representatives will certify the Electoral College results, which Mr. Trump will dismiss as fake news. The courts, flooded with cases from both Democrats and Mr. Trump’s legal team, will take months working through the docket, producing reasoned rulings that Trump will alternately appeal and ignore.

Then the clock will strike 12:01 PM, January 20, 2021, and Donald Trump will be sitting in the Oval Office. The street protests will inevitably swell outside the White House, and the ranks of Trump’s private army will grow inside its grounds. The speaker of the House will declare the Trump presidency at an end, and direct the Secret Service and Federal Marshals to remove Trump from the premises. These agents will realize that they are outmanned and outgunned by Trump’s private army, and the moment of decision will arrive.

At this moment of Constitutional crisis, only two options remain. Under the first, U.S. military forces escort the former president from the White House grounds. Trump’s little green men, so intimidating to lightly armed federal law enforcement agents, step aside and fade away, realizing they would not constitute a good morning’s work for a brigade of the 82nd Airborne. Under the second, the U.S. military remains inert while the Constitution dies. The succession of government is determined by extralegal violence between Trump’s private army and street protesters; Black Lives Matter Plaza becomes Tahrir Square.

As the senior military officer of the United States, the choice between these two options lies with you. In the Constitutional crisis described above, your duty is to give unambiguous orders directing U.S. military forces to support the Constitutional transfer of power. Should you remain silent, you will be complicit in a coup d’état. You were rightly criticized for your prior active complicity in the president’s use of force against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square. Your passive complicity in an extralegal seizure of political power would be far worse. 

For 240 years, the United States has been spared the horror of violent political succession. Imperfect though it may be, our Union has been moving toward greater perfection, from one peaceful transfer of power to the next. The rule of law created by our Constitution has made this miracle possible. However, our Constitutional order is not self-sustaining. Throughout our history, Americans have laid down their lives so that this form of government may endure. Continuing the unfinished work for which these heroes fell now falls to you. 

Lest you forget: 

“I, Mark A. Milley, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

The fate of our Republic may well depend upon your adherence to this oath. 

Respectfully yours,

John Nagl and Paul Yingling

John Nagl, a retired Army officer and veteran of both Iraq wars, is Head of School at The Haverford School outside Philadelphia.P

Paul Yingling, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, served three tours in Iraq, another in Bosnia, and a fifth in Operation Desert Storm.

Source: Defense One Article 

The Myth Of An Elusive State Of Jefferson

By Brad Smith

EUGENE, Ore. -- In John Ford’s classic Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, there’s the famous quote uttered by a reporter, “This is the West, sir. When legend becomes fact – print the legend.”

In essence, that line neatly sums up stories surrounding the 1941 “State of Jefferson” movement.

According to Peter Laufer, who is the James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication as well as has worked as a journalist for several years, asserts in his 2013 book, The Elusive State of Jefferson, that the short-lived 1941 Jefferson statehood movement was nothing but a publicity stunt – one that some have taken too seriously more than 79 years later. “Did those people have legitimate complaints back then,” he said. “Yes. They were angry, frustrated and wanted action taken. In order for that to happen, they had to gain some media attention.”

For years, Laufer explained, there has been the “legend of the State of Jefferson.”

“It’s been this idea of these rugged individualists wanting to go it alone, who had this dream of carving out a new state and a better way of life,” he said. “The reality is you had a bunch of people who knew that statehood would never happen yet they could get what they wanted if they could create uproar.That is right. It was never the 1941 Jefferson movement’s intention to breakaway from both Oregon and California.As the story goes, in late 1941, Gilbert Gable, recently elected mayor of Port Orford, was frustrated by what he perceived as the Salem legislature ignoring the needs of rural Oregon and its smaller communities. Gable, who referred to himself as the “hick mayor of the westernmost United States,” hatched a scheme. He was a seasoned radio personality and perceptive, then he found kindred spirits with a pair of Californians, John C. Childs, a Crescent City judge and state senator Randolph Collier. The three men knew that a number of people living in southern Oregon and northern California were ripe for a little revolution.

“Gable and the others just wanted to stir the pot,” Laufer said.

Gable reached out to the surrounding region. Klamath County declared that they would “rather join Portugal” than join the Jefferson movement. However, with promises of things such as promises of eschewing taxes on such things as liquor, sales and income,  other counties voiced their support.

The secession movement soon had their own flag, the “Dos Equi:” A gold pan covered with a pair of X’s. The message, Laufer said, was simple: People felt double-crossed by both Salem and Sacramento.

“Things were set in motion,” he said. “All Gilbert Gable and his cohorts needed was some media attention. People  got excited but then felt that nothing would come of it. Interest was lagging.”

Then, on a cold November night, members of Yreka’s 20-30 Club – a social club where local men gathered to smoke, drink, play cards, play pool – armed themselves and blockaded roads. They told drivers “Jefferson, as a defense-minded State, will be forced to rebel,” revolting against both Oregon and California.

“Some local historians have said that these guys were a bit drunk and it was a half-serious effort,” Laufer said. “However, it was more than enough for the media to notice.”

That is when Stanton Delaplane, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, traveled to the region to cover the secession movement. Delaplane, Laufer added, was the kind of journalist who felt there were no such things as slow news days.“Only slow news reporters,” he said.

Delaplane when he arrived, found a number of highly energetic people but lacking vision. Laufer said that the reporter “took a liking” to Gable and those involved. “Essentially, (Delaplane) knew that he was literally sitting on a gold mine. What he found was the beginning of a fascinating story – but knew that it needed ‘nurturing.’”

Nurture it, Delaplane did. In the late 1970s, he admitted in interviews that his articles were not only “heavily embellished” but also gave the secessionists ideas on what to do. “The State of Jefferson movement became a media circus,” Laufer said, “with Delaplane, more or less, the ringmaster. His articles fired up both readers across the nation and the movement too. He made it seem like Jefferson could really happen.”

However, like Gable and a few others, Delaplane knew that statehood would never happen. “There was no way in hell that either Salem or Sacramento would allow it,” Laufer explained. “It goes back to the plan: Shake things up enough to the point that the state governments would relent and fix the roads and yield to the other demands. It was big publicity stunt.”

The local media got into it. According to Laufer, when word that newsreel crews would descend upon Yreka to film pro-Jefferson rallies, The Siskiyou Daily News and other area newspapers urged locals to dress up and instructed them on how to act in front of the cameras. Laufer even felt many pictures of Jefferson patriots and their roadblocks were staged as well. “There was a lot of ballyhoo,” he said. “It made for great press and it’s fun to watch that newsreel footage now. It worked, it got what Gilbert and the ringleaders wanted and Delaplane helped: It stirred the pot.”

According to Jefferson legend, the movement took a hit when Gable died on Dec. 2.

“Some have said it was a heart attack,” Laufer said. “However, there’s a story that Delaplane went to visit the mayor and spent the night drinking. Heavy drinking. All of that binge drinking killed Gable.”

The SOJ leadership reacted quickly to fill the void left by Gable's death. Childs was proclaimed governor of Jefferson, with much media fanfare. However, afterwards, came the Japanese military’s Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. Again, legend has it that with America entering a world war, the movement came to a halt out of patriotism.

“Not so,” Laufer countered. “With the United States going to war, it needed a lot of resources and those resources were located in southern Oregon and northern California. New roads were built. Both the state and federal governments pumped a lot of money into the region. They got what they wanted.”

Delaplane also got what he wanted – in 1942, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his State of Jefferson “reporting.”

“In the end, people walked away with what they wanted,” Laufer said. “From that point on, Jefferson’s legend took on a life of its own and faded into obscurity. Now, thanks to the Sagebrush Rebellion and the sovereign citizen and constitutional sheriff movements, it’s starting up again. You have people claiming they support Jefferson for one reason yet there might other agendas playing into it.”

The State of Jefferson’s legend continues.

Different groups, different agendas.

POV: It's Not The Flu . . . .

It's not the flu.

Face it. There are a lot of idiots in the United States who think Covid-19 is no worse than the common flu.

We're fighting both a pandemic and a lot of knuckle dragging inbred monosynaptic decerebrates.

-30-

RFP Fact Checker: Trump Ignored Obama Pandemic Plan

I saw someone in a Josephine County chat group claim there wasn't a pandemic response plan ready or in place.

Wrong.

https://khn.org/news/evidence-shows-obama-team-left-a-pandemic-game-plan-for-trump-administration/

RFP Fact Checker: Chicago & Guns

 There are no gun shops in Chicago -- but the city is inundated with firearms.

Chicago does not have the highest per capita murder rate in the country -- usually that falls to Baltimore or St. Louis. That said, Chicago becomes the focal point of the national gun debate.

"Look at Chicago," some say. "It has one of the strictest gun laws in the country but it has a lot of gun violence."

The reality is this: According to reports issued by both Chicago law enforcement and the FBI, many guns used in crimes come from other jurisdictions. About six in ten “crime guns” seized by Chicago Police Dept. originated from gun shops outside of Illinois, according to a 2017 report issued by the department. Crime guns are defined by law enforcement as those that are “illegally possessed, used, or suspected to be used in furtherance of a crime.”

In about 95 percent of cases, the person found in possession of a crime gun is not the original purchaser of the weapon, the report said.

The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranks Illinois’ gun laws as the eighth toughest in the country. The state requires citizens to have a permit to buy firearms and to report stolen or lost guns. Residents who want to sell their guns privately are also required to solicit a background check from state officials and to submit documentation of the sale.

No such laws exist in neighboring states such as Indiana, making them a target for traffickers seeking to sell weapons on the black market in Chicago.

About 21 percent of guns confiscated by police in Chicago are traced back to gun shops across the border in Indiana, a short drive from the city.

After conducting gun offender surveys and crime analysis, the CPD concluded that “states with lax gun laws like Indiana and Mississippi are a primary target for gang members and their gun trafficker source buyers.”

The CPD’s report identifies a number of specific gun shops in Indiana and the suburbs of Illinois that supply the largest number of guns that end up being seized by police.

Robberies of gun shops also play a small role in supplying the guns on Chicago’s black market. According to a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 280 guns were stolen from licensed dealers in Illinois in 2016, and 197 were stolen in Indiana. But even if all 477 of these guns ended up on the streets of Chicago, they would only account for a small fraction of over 6,000 guns seized by police that year.

So, the next time someone mentions Chicago, its gun laws and gun violence, you can educate them about the reality of the situation.

Sources:

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/the-chicago-gun-myth/

https://apnews.com/64e34cffb7db4dc7bf9bcda2ea201ea7

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2019/08/29/dixie-pipeline-guns-from-mississippi-streets-chicago-crime-violence-gangs-trafficking/1898930001/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/chicago-gun-trace-report-2017/27140/