Arizona Daily Star
The leader of Tombstone's fledgling citizens militia says the organization intends to conduct its operations on public lands, patrol routes leading to water stations and have volunteers apply for state-issued concealed weapons permits.
"We're stepping onto public lands, and I dare the government to come and arrest 50 people," said Chris Simcox, owner of the Tombstone Tumbleweed, a weekly newspaper, and organizer of a citizens militia he now calls the Civil Homeland Defense.
The goal of the organization is to deter terrorists, criminals, drug dealers and illegal entrants, he said.
Its initial strategy will be to conduct patrols in areas where humanitarian water stations and beacons have been established to aid illegal entrants. The group will be "humanely assisting those who are attracted to them by way of making sure they have water and blankets and any immediate medical attention they may need," he said.
They will then be placed under citizen's arrest and turned over to the Border Patrol.
"If all these other people are setting up ways to help illegal aliens, why can't we then patrol those same areas?" Simcox asked.
Posted by Suzanne at December 4, 2002