A quick update to a story I’ve been following for The ReidOut Blog. Democrats in Long Island, New York, are suing Nassau County’s top official — a Republican — for acting on his plans to create a militia of civilians to assist law enforcement.
As I reported last April, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman faced backlash over his proposal to designate handpicked civilians as “special deputies” and essentially grant them policelike powers during “emergencies.” At the time, he said these special deputies would be made available only in limited situations, such as natural disasters, but added that he would consider deploying them during “a riot,” too. His vision of a pseudo police force led to comparisons to the Nazi militia known as the “Brownshirts.”
Blakeman appears to have moved forward with his proposal, and local Democrats in Nassau County are now suing him over it.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in state Supreme Court last week by two Democratic members of the Nassau County Legislature:
New York State law does not authorize defendants to create a taxpayer funded militia. In case of an emergency, the County is permitted to accept help from New York State and from other municipalities’ law enforcement agencies. It is not allowed to hand badges to private citizens, pronounce them to be members of law enforcement when they are not, and authorize them to wield force and make arrests on behalf of the government.
During a news conference announcing the lawsuit, fellow Democratic county legislator Seth Koslow said it’s clear that Blakeman’s militia isn’t truly about protecting the community.
“It’s about political control — and that’s what he’s using them for,” Koslow said. “It’s dangerous. It’s illegal.”
In a statement reported by The Associated Press, Blakeman called the lawsuit “frivolous” and claimed the plaintiffs were defaming the 26 volunteers he’s signed on to work as special deputies.
As I wrote when Blakeman first revealed his plan, conservatives nationwide are embracing armed vigilantes as foot soldiers in their culture wars. We’ve seen this in Republicans’ veneration for pro-insurrectionist groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, and in the gathering of right-wing militias at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Blakeman’s proposal is an attempt to formalize a working relationship between vigilante types and the Republican Party. And Democrats in Nassau County are right to sound the alarm.
Ja’han Jones
Ja’han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He’s a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include “Black Hair Defined” and the “Black Obituary Project.”