Thought I'd start this topic here, though it is sourced in a
previous topic.
Here is more background info from Mexico before we discuss this subject. Also, I'm going to use David Crawford's book "Lights Out" as a reference.
You can go to any preparedness website and people will talk about coming together to prevent or recover from Event "X, Y, Z." There is plenty of discussion on community, everyone coming together as a group, etc. In these discussions, people progress from "shit happened/is about to occur, we need to deal with it" straight to "we all unified and we're gonna fight this off as one." There isn't much discussion over the grey area in between those two points. In "Lights Out," the characters did not progress from EMP straight to Mark Turner's competent leadership. They had a large growth period, and a power struggle between Mark and John, the hot-headed Marine who thought he should be boss. We are fools if we do not believe that the "Johns" in the world will not be there to rear their ugly heads if SHTF.
My intent is to start an in-depth discussion on the subject, and try to make this thread the go-to topic for "vigilantism." First, we need to be clear on what vigilantism is. At it's basic form, it is a group of regular citizens who come together to take charge of a situation, usually something requiring opposing a hostile group. That happened in the first news story above, and it turned out okay. However, that is not always the case, as is evident in the second report regarding Mexico. Vigilantes, when they come together, have power, and this power can easily be abused.
Maybe these questions will help to start the discussion.
1) I believe that vigilantism can be a useful tool, if done in moderation. In a crisis where the authorities are not found or are too far away to do any good, people should step up and make their homes secure. What do you think, and why?
2) I think that the need for vigilantism arises when a danger is imminent and needs immediate action. However, I also think that when the immediate danger is past, or especially when it is a chronic danger, the vigilantes should disband. In their place, the community should come together and organize a local effort to establish not only a militia for security in the vigilantes' place, but also other aspects of government to assure that this security arm of the community respects the laws of that community and the freedoms of those individuals. Where do you think the line for vigilantism should be drawn?
3) It's not inconceivable that certain vigilantes might not want to give up their new-found strength, and may decide to maintain or increase their influence by becoming the problem they originally meant to stop. What is a good response to vigilantes who separate from the community and become the aggressors? Should more care be taken to reason or negotiate with them? On the flip side, what if the vigilantes themselves become the core of the newly founded local authorities' judicial, executive and legislative branches with some citizens' backing - and without question take advantage of a portion of the populace, respecting no civil rights?
4) The obvious answers that immediately jumps to mind are, "Off with their heads!" "Hang'em high!" "Time to bug out, man!"
However, what if your side isn't strong enough to physically overwhelm this rogue element? What if there is no way to bug out due to logistical, security or time factors, or you simply have nowhere else to go? Families can't just pack up and leave, and most individuals do not have the knowledge or resources to survive alone, wandering. What other options do you have?
Looking back at "Lights Out," the members of the community didn't seem to know each other very well beyond facial recognition. That book is certainly not representative of reality, but it gets close in many ways. So, I paid attention (especially the third time I read it) to Mark's interactions with John, and the community's reactions to both of them. I don't think John started out as a vigilante - he was just bit too gung-ho for his own good, and his attitude led him down a road that he could not mentally or emotionally recover from. For those of you who read "Lights Out," what parallels do you see between the book and a real scenario? How can you see your community in comparison with the Silver Hills community?
