The reactionary presence of right-wing paramilitary groups has always been a problem for an open democratic society, and has become acutely so during the period of social upheaval we’re currently experiencing—a viral pandemic and mass protests involving police brutality. The threatening behavior and rhetoric of these groups is a proto-fascistic attempt to shut down free speech and democratic institutions, and any official support for them from people in positions of authority represents an embrace of this fascism.
Yet in New Mexico, a flock of state Republicans have made official their adoption of a vigilante militia organization—one calling itself the New Mexico Civil Guard, seemingly to claim a false mantle of public support, but accountable to exactly no one—with a record of violence, both in behavior and rhetoric. It’s the disturbing escalation of the GOP’s descent into the maelstrom of far-right extremism under Donald Trump.
As Charles Davis at Business Insider reports, a bevy of New Mexico state Republican officials will be participating in a “New Mexico Unite Protest” in Clovis on Aug. 22 at the Clovis County GOP headquarters. Its advertised purpose is to pay “tribute to NM law enforcement and the New Mexico Civil Guard.”
The latter organization is a vigilante militia group that made headlines in June when several of its heavily armed members were arrested alongside a right-wing agitator who shot a man in the arm during a protest against a monument honoring a controversial Spanish conquistador in Albuquerque. The militiamen were later released, while the shooter—who the militia group claims was not a member—was jailed on multiple assault and weapons charges.
Afterwards, multiple state leaders began demanding the militia group be confronted. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told NPR the militiamen had one reason for being there: "to menace protesters." She added that there was no place for a group "seeking to terrorize" New Mexican citizens, nor “to present an unsanctioned show of unregulated force.”
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller—who demanded the FBI investigate the New Mexico Civil Guard as a hate group—had a similar message: "We're just trying to send a clear signal that we never want vigilantes in our town. We never want firearms at protests," Keller said. "And both of those things ... have been a dangerous combination for our community that we don't want to see."
One of the scheduled speakers for the Clovis event is Otero County Commissioner Cuoy Griffin, the founder of “Cowboys for Trump” and an ardent New Mexico Civil Guard supporter. Griffin gained national notoriety in May after Donald Trump retweeted his view that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat,” adding: “You get to pick your poison: you either go before a firing squad, or you get the end of the rope.”
Griffin acknowledged to Business Insider that he is organizing the event: "Yes sir, I'm planning it," he said. He will be joined by several elected Republicans and Republican candidates.
Among them is Republican state Sen. Pat Woods, who described the rally as a "GOP grand opening event." Among the Republicans who have promoted the rally on Facebook are the Republican Party of Curry County and another speaker, state congressional candidate Audrey Trujillo. Another scheduled speaker is Rick Lopez, vice chair of the state Republican Party.
Griffin’s event description on Facebook explains that “we are sick of being held hostage. we are having a PEACEFUL protest. We are Against Voter suppression, Mail in voting and voter fraud! time to fight for New Mexico! … Come out and join a great PEACEFUL PROTEST with a group of smart, FRIENDLY Americans, ready to bring a positive change to our state, so join us to experience a new, brighter future for New Mexico.”
The New Mexico Civil Guard claims it has 120 members in 12 counties around the state. Its cofounder—an ex-convict who goes by the names Bryce Provance and Bryce Spangler—is a former neo-Confederate who spent prison time in Washington state for burglary and assault, but claims his militia work is his way of giving back to the community. He has a swastika tattoo on his shoulder from his prison stint, but claims to now disavow racism—and points to his African American wife as proof he isn’t a bigot.
Provance/Spangler also claimed to the Las Cruces Sun-News that the militia is a legitimate body, even though it is accountable to no one, saying “it is our duty to interpose ourselves between people with no training and people with training," also claiming that the Civil Guard "has the same escalation of force as the police department — we are a very well-trained organization that is trained by former members of law enforcement and the military."
Guard supporter Craig Fitzgerald claimed in a YouTube interview that the group shares intelligence with law enforcement. "We've had federal agents tell the New Mexico Civil Guard, 'Give us any information about antifa that you have,'" he said. "I think that we're already in a cold civil war.”
The group already has demonstrated its idea of “information about antifa.” Shortly after the shooting incident, its Facebook page featured a post with the names, photos, and employment information of local left-wing activists, primarily professors at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. It warned: “Watch your six y’all,” saying that “these are people aligned with a violent organization avoid them and their friends at all costs.”
Lindsay Schubiner, program director at the Western States Center, a group that monitors right-wing extremism, explained to Business Insider that these kinds of crossovers between elected and other official authorities and radical militias poses a problem for democracy.
"We would call the New Mexico Civil Guard a paramilitary group," Schubiner said. "They're a paramilitary group that has publicly advertised weapons training exercises and has appeared armed, and in uniform, to counter-protests for racial justice, chilling free speech rights and running a serious risk of violence. All of that is concerning.
"It's deeply troubling that the local GOP would openly endorse an event honoring a paramilitary group," Schubiner added, "because their activities are so deeply opposed to free and open democratic practice."
