The local sheriff’s department praised the militia’s work while emphasizing that police did not call them up.
The appearance of camouflage-clad militia members in the small Sierra foothills town of Mariposa as the Oak Fire raged nearby has sparked a furor in Mariposa County, with the local sheriff’s department praising the group for its help while some residents accused the militia of exploiting the disaster.
“We’re part of the community,” said Latner, 44, who lives in Mariposa County and works in logistics. “We’re watching our own community burn down and even though a lot of the members that came to help, they’re spread out, we’re all part of the same unit and this is what we do.” “The last thing I’m going to do is take a free tri-tip sandwich from a right-wing extremist group,” said one resident, who did not want her name used because she said she worried about provoking “armed and dangerous” people.
In California, militia members have become politically active, particularly in Shasta County, where retired U.S. Marine Carlos Zapata led a successful recall of a county supervisor, leading to a far-right majority on the board.
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