Armed 'Oath Keepers' arrive in Ferguson

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Oath keepers' in Ferguson agitate cops and protesters An armed group of "Oath Keepers" joined the mix of protesters and police in Ferguson this week, and are not welcomed in the community.





FERGUSON, Mo. — An armed group of "Oath Keepers" joined the mix of protesters and police on city streets this week, and neither police nor protesters provided a warm welcome.

Oath Keepers describes itself as a "non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police and first responders." The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as "fiercely anti-government, militaristic."

As that development evolved, the St. Louis County, Mo., Police Department released video that the agency says is "pertinent" to the investigation of the shooting by an officer of Tyrone Harris on Sunday. In the video, Harris is seen pulling a gun from his waistband.

Early Tuesday, several white men identifying themselves as Oath Keepers carried semiautomatic weapons as they walked amid the protesters. Missouri allows people with permits for concealed weapons to carry them openly.

Ferguson surveillance video shows possible gunman In this surveillance video provided by The St. Louis County PD detectives have identified the person in the video as Tyrone Harris. They claim the video shows Harris grab a handgun out of his waistband once shots are fired during a recent protest.

John, an Oath Keeper from Missouri who wouldn't provide his last name, said his group was at the protest to protect writers with the conservative website Infowars.com. He said journalists are sometimes robbed or beaten when trying to cover volatile events and that his group wanted to ensure Infowars writers were free to document the protests.

Infowars denied hiring Oath Keepers for private security and said it is not affiliated with the group, "although as a media organization we respect them for encouraging active military and retired veterans to study the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

John said he recognized it could be problematic if Ferguson residents and protesters openly carried weapons, but added that his group is highly trained. He acknowledged that anyone with a firearm might be perceived with concern by police already on high alert because people have shot at and hurled bottles and other objects at officers.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar called the group's presence "unnecessary and inflammatory."

Some protesters — gathering here to mark one year since unarmed black teen Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer — took issue with Oath Keepers joining the demonstration.

"You're going to bring some uncommissioned citizens, white citizens, into a black community like this? It's disrespectful," Talal Ahmad, 30, who is black, told Reuters news service. "Here, in a black neighborhood, we're already living in a state of terror."

Patricia Bynes, Democratic committeewoman of Ferguson Township, told MSNBC the Oath Keepers' presence detracted from the issue of racial inequality.

"If there were black and brown people in this country who showed up in the streets openly carrying assault rifles in paramilitary garb, would they still be received the same way?" Bynes asked. "It seems to be that especially when it comes to the Second Amendment there seems to be a different way that it is enforced."

Oath Keepers was founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, an Army veteran and former aide to ex-congressman Ron Paul. Rhodes has been a critic of both major political parties, referring to Hillary Clinton as "Herr Hitlery" and calling Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a traitor to the Constitution.

Most Oath Keepers members, as part of their public service jobs, must swear to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic," the group's website notes. The group stresses that members are sworn supporters of the Constitution, not politicians.

"Oath Keepers declare that they will not obey unconstitutional orders, such as orders to disarm the American people, to conduct warrantless searches, or to detain Americans as "enemy combatants" in violation of their ancient right to jury trial," Oath Keepers says on its website.

The group did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY for comment.