John E Taylor | |
|---|---|
 John E Taylor | |
| Home Base | Muncie, IN |
| Groupaffiliations | OathKeepers |
At the time we are writing this there is a lot of unrest in Ferguson, MO with St. Louis County authorities declaring a state of emergency and more than 100 people were arrested on the second day of protests marking a year since Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown. Also on that day, the militia group known as the Oath Keepers showed up on the streets, and that just made things that much more special. The Oath Keepers are former and current military and law enforcement who as their website states, “pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to ‘defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’” Okay, that sounds benign enough, but as many right-wing efforts go, what they say and how they operate are two different things. So naturally when an all-white, heavily armed group of paramilitary buffoons who were last seen protecting racist rancher and tax cheat Cliven Bundy at his ranch in Nevada show up in the middle of a racial flareup, there’s going to be people wondering what the hell is going on.
But this is not so much about Ferguson, but rather the kinds of people who they have had fill their ranks. This was not the first time the Oath Keepers have been in Ferguson. They also showed up in November 2014 when there was a violent flareup following the grand jury decision to clear Officer Wilson of wrongdoing. There were similar concerns as there is the second time they appeared, and fortunately nothing bad happened. On Facebook supporters posted the story of their people going into town and cheered them on, one particular post by a guy named John E. Taylor was particularly curious, simply saying, “Makes me proud to be an Oath Keeper.”
Why is this post particularly curious? Because John E. Taylor is the older brother of White supremacist Jared Taylor, publisher of American Renaissance.
Looking at him more, we find out that John Taylor, a former Marine, is a “Michigan Moderator” of Oath Keepers. He currently lives in Muncie, Indiana which is a bit of a distance from Michigan, but his wife Cathy is originally from there, so that might be the connection. Now we would not be bringing up John Taylor simply because of his brother’s activities. Ardent Christian Rightists, he and his wife are also both very supportive of Jared, sharing his writings on Facebook regularly and attending his events. We will say that John stays under the radar for the most part however, basically focusing on his faith and militia support. In other words, he’s one of those people who clings to his guns and religion!
The Oath Keepers were asked to leave Ferguson the last time they showed up, and we expect to update this entry to say they were again. But when you see people like John Taylor joining them, and the baggage he may bring you can get an idea as to what it is about these groups that have people concerned in the first place.