Minnesota Freedom Fighters
Courtesy Unicorn Riot and Twitter

For Romeal Taylor, 28, who works as an overnight security guard at a local hotel, owning a gun has always been about personal protection. For the last six years, he’s carried a firearm with him anytime he goes out in public. He understands he can be viewed as a threat, but he’s also a trained and proud gun owner.

“There is a lot going on out here in the world,” he said. “I would rather have a gun and not need it than need it and not have it.”

Days after Floyd was killed, Taylor said, he heard from neighbors in north Minneapolis about a call to action for licensed gun owners to protect local businesses from vandalism and destruction. The call resonated with him, he said, because he had been frustrated to see people he didn’t recognize from his neighborhood destroying buildings.

“These weren’t Black folks,” he said. “These were outsiders truly intent on destroying this city.”

The [Minnesota Freedom Fighters’] headquarters was Sammy’s Avenue Eatery along a bustling thoroughfare.

It’s where Taylor met Randy Chrisman and other local Black gun owners like himself. Chrisman, who lives in the suburbs, read the NAACP call to action on Facebook and showed up at the cafe.

“It’s been a brotherhood ever since,” said Chrisman, who has had his concealed carry permit for nearly a decade and typically carries his handgun with him.

“You just never know when something is going to happen,” he said. “As a Black man, I have the same rights as others to also carry a firearm and I do it.”

– Kurtis Lee in Armed and Black. How a group of men licensed to carry guns say they are seeking racial justice

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

95 COMMENTS

  1. “Days after Floyd was killed, Taylor said, he heard from neighbors in north Minneapolis about a call to action for licensed gun owners to protect local businesses from vandalism and destruction. The call resonated with him, he said, because he had been frustrated to see people he didn’t recognize from his neighborhood destroying buildings.

    “These weren’t Black folks,” he said. “These were outsiders truly intent on destroying this city.””

    More power to ’em… 🙂

      • They’re taking the first steps of realizing there’s a problem, and stepping up to do something about it. That’s a plus in my book.

        We’ll see what happens…

      • They may continue to vote for that party – but them and others like them may (with luck) steer the Democrats back to a more sane course. I may not have ever fully agreed with Democrat party platforms, but in the past they were not deranged and espoused values and ideals that you could at least debate intelligently.

      • RE: Dude

        I’ve seen a fair number of black gun owners at some gun rallies I’ve been to. They’re really enthusiastic about their rights and didn’t seem to be Democrat about it.

    • In June. out in SLC, I blundered into a BLM rally. A sea of white. College age kids and recycled hippies that could have been their professors. Or grandparents.

      Almost exclusively white.

      • Same here. At about the same time (June), I drove by a smaller BLM rally in my home town here in northern L.A. County. Not a big rally due to our mostly conservative area, but nearly 100% white nevertheless, and all of them appeared to be under 25.

        • “appeared to be under 25”

          Low information voters without any skin in the game, just the way democrats like them.

        • I have been saying since the beginning of this crap back in March. These rioters should be shot dead on sight. I noticed back then that most where white and many waving rainbow flags. I don’t care about the skin color of a person who riots and loots.
          By calling themselves Black Lives Matter. It provides camouflage to the whites. Especially if you don’t watch TV or the internet videos. Where you would see very few blacks in the crowds of white criminals.

          btw
          Thanks to Miner49er who pointed this out back in march. But he is not a supporter of shooting rioters on sight. He only likes to make arguments. And muddy the water.

        • Thanks for the shout out!

          And you are correct, I do not believe rioters should be shot on sight.

          I seem to remember something in that pesky constitution about due process, I’m not sure shooting people for the crime of rioting was condoned by the founding fathers.

        • I firmly believe that the constitution gives these people the right to peaceful assembly. Burning and looting isn’t peaceful. As soon as a “mostly peaceful protest” starts to riot I firmly believe the 2nd amendment grants people the right to armed defense of their homes and businesses. I want people to get their day in court but I don’t want my family home burnt to the ground or firefighters dying to stop an arson fire from spreading.

        • Self-defense, Miner. And “a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state.” There’s your constitutional imprimatur, not that you were truly looking.

          Nothing in the Constitution says citizens have to stand by and wring their hands while a mob tears down the rule of law and burns down their homes and businesses. Quite the opposite.

        • Annville PA, at the “major” intersection by the college, there is a group of peaceful protesters that is out with signs and stuff a few times a week. I usually give them the finger as I go by. They are exercising their 1st amendment rights and I am exercising mine.

          They are all college kids and college faculty. And apparently they are either decent people or are well aware of how the locals would handle burning and looting before the cops ever got there, because they really are peaceful. They don’t even interfere with traffic.

        • Miner49er isn’t the only one. Strych9, Slap Ing, and other Libertarians on TTAG, are against the government (cops or feds) shooting rioters and looters. That is what we pay the government for.

          Do you remember George Orwell???

          “Good people can sleep safely in their beds. Because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” When I was in the Army. The Bush administration put out a wall size post with this statement on it. I still have that poster.

          People talk big sh*t about George Orwell. Very few really mean it. To them its just a fig leaf to cover their weaknesses as a human being.

        • Shout out, miner? Just pointing out the racism. All you white saviors thinking that poc need your rescuing. Of course the price they pay for that rescue is to be forever under your bootheels.

          You fascists never change.

        • “Slap Ing…” I like that. 🙂

          But you’re barking up the wrong tree with me, Chris. I’m with you on looters and arsonists. They should all be shot on sight, and am on record saying so.

          I only call myself libertarian because it’s the universally recognized term that is the least far from where my politics mostly land (conservatarian might be a better term to us). Politically, I’m a leave-me-the-hell-alone-ist and a constitutionalist, but there isn’t really a party for either of those anymore…if there ever was.

        • @Chris

          I’ve never once said there’s a problem with shooting “rioters and looters”.

          I said there’s a problem with shooting people
          solely over property crimes and I’ve said that very specifically that use of violence during a crime creates a legitimate claim for self defense on the part of the victim. I have argued against those who have said they want to shoot “thieves”.

          A theif specifically avoids violence and preys on others via stealth.

          Looters are a class robber, that is, someone who commits the action of taking property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force. Which is to say that robbers are, by definition, violent and confrontational.

          Words have meanings. I use the actual definitions and I don’t conflate them.

          You don’t get to shoot the guy who takes some beer from your open garage. But if he comes in and threatens you over the beer, blast away.

        • Exactly….
          SEE…. IT’S SO GD FUNNY HOW THESE COMMIE TRASH MFERS THINK..

          You see this idiot moron49 thought process… you should let them destroy your property and murder your dog so they can HAVE A DAY IN FKN COURT???? ARE YOU THAT FKN STUPID?

        • @Strych9
          “ A theif specifically avoids violence and preys on others via stealth.”

          Really? And how many armed robberies have people been arrested for?

        • @prndll. It’s your road kill. Two animals come along ones a possum ones a wolverine. The possum sneeks in and grabs a bite, the wolverine comes in and takes it. Thief &Robber

        • “Really? And how many armed robberies have people been arrested for?”

          In what context? Robbery, burglary and theft are different charges and are that way for a reason. They all involve different elements which makes them distinct crimes in both the legal and the ethical sense.

        • @Prndll

          “You guys can mince words all ya like. It’s all the same to me.”

          They aren’t mincing words, and it’s not all the same. “Theft” and “Robbery” are legally different things. Robbery involves violence or the threat of it. Theft does not. Me pick-pocketing your wallet makes me a thief. Me taking it while pointing a gun at your head makes me a robber.

          If you shoot a thief, you’re probably going to jail for a very long time.

      • “I blundered into a BLM rally”

        And you were immediately killed?

        So apparently, some of these BLM protests are actually peaceful it seems…

        • I was also armed. Thankfully they kept it peaceful and so did I.
          Everybody has a right to protest. Looting, rioting, antifa pedos attempting to harm a 17yo are not peaceful protesting.

        • Interesting that since they were not immediately killed, you instantly assume they were mostly peaceful.

          Hhhmmm
          That’s quite an assumption.

  3. There is a point where the people stand up and make it known that they will not take anymore craziness. THAT is what it means to be American. People that understand the idea that freedom comes with a price. Race is not at issue. Freedom is.

  4. I’ve been staying close to home as much as possible since the COVID scamdemic started.
    I’m the type that avoids trouble if at all possible. Not looking for it, but ready for it if I need to protect my family or property. I chose to live in an area where I feel secure without carrying concealed every day. I personally don’t like having to carry a gun. If anyone ever sees my gun, it’s either at the range or someone is about to get shot. Hopefully, the second condition will never have to happen.

  6. I live 7 blocks from burnt out 3rd precinct, home is currently on market, and we’ve been rolling around south Minneapolis, riverside and downtown area 4-5 suv strong with an average of a dozen folks since the week after. The majority of the black groups out here are the ones causing problems. We don’t venture to northside as if a incident happened there we’d obviously be blamed for just daring to enter the biggest black only zone in state, even though I was born there in the 70s when those neighborhood were still thriving and mixed. But when the black groups enter and establish black only zones in our neighborhoods it’s just fine, no police interfere, yet we are continually harassed and questioned by police in our own and surrounding neighborhoods when our convoy is spotted. And we’ve had 911 called on us numerous times just for driving through certain areas. There are a few black led groups fighting the blm cause here but they are far and few and I’ve never seen them in numbers greater than 3-4 and they tend not to show interest in joining forces with each other or us, so I have to assume they are more likely posing as good guys and involved in criminal activity rather then protecting business and residents. Most in our group are from area and met through local gun forums, mostly white, one black and one native and both are veterans of war as is about half our group. As working folks we venture out usually from 7pm to midnight 3-4 times a week. While it’s calmed here vs weeks ago there are certain areas that are 100% no go zones unless in full group and one thing I noticed about those areas, zero police. Zero. That is until we roll out of said neighborhoods and get a friendly stop and notice from police that we shouldn’t be there. While most of the police only take it as far as looking at faces and making a call on plates and off they go it’s obviously orders coming down from city officials telling these officers to direct policing at the citizens vs the criminals. As far as these northside groups they may be protecting certain businesses but like all leftist run enforcement it’s selective and about race.

    • ALL the Black Looters Murder criminals who arrived on 7 buses to pillage in my city and nearby were BLACK-and in Chiraq. May 31st to be exact. Stevie Wonder could see what was going on in Minnesota(Floyd ain’t no saint!) Cool IF these black men are doing the right thing. Good luck selling your home…

      • Who and What’s behind the need for Blacks being bused in? If bused individuals caused damage then liability can be on those who paid their way. So instead of painting the picture Black first follow the money to see where it came from. After all a Black army is a component of the Weather Underground, Prairie Fire, etc. And the last time I looked bill ayers was still lily white.

      • I believe you are right, GS. They are part of the ultra-liberal black hole, and are unfortunately reaching critical mass and sucking all of the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th ring suburbs with them. I hope to be able to sell and vacate my 3rd ring home after my wife retires, hopefully the market will be back by that time.

      • I would tend to agree. It would be nice to think that people would “figure it out” but what really happens is that the people who “figure it out” simply leave and those that remain are usually part of the problem.

  7. Can’t expect cops to provide protection. It’s not their primary job. They are there to prevent escalation where possible and protect government assets. In sufficient overwhelming numbers they subdue criminals, like 10 to 1 on a swat raid for example. Doesn’t work against 1000 people, that’s what the national guard is for with mechanized equipment and soldiers who mean business.

    Their responsibility is a very grey area indeed. We saw that time and time again. Hence massive gun sales.

  8. Its great to see more people start to learn the lessons of the Roof Koreans. The police aren’t there to protect you. They are there to get a pay check. They will let your business and home be invaded and destroyed. If that is what they are told to do. They follow orders. Its doesn’t matter if the orders are moral or immoral.

    The cops are still getting paid to sit and just watch. According to the elected political leadership. “people must be allowed room to destroy”. So said the mayor of Baltimore.

    The question now is. Who really supports ordinary law abiding citizens just shooting criminals on sight? When they are caught in a criminal act. Joe Horn shot and killed two illegal alien home invaders. They had ran sacked his neighbors home and came over to this home next. He killed them as they crossed over his property line. For that he was called a racist by the Libertarians Liberals and the Left. Kyle Rittenhouse is now also being similarly attacked.

    Why should anyone just hold a criminal for the police to come and get? Its obvious that Law and Order has broken down in major US cities. Now the question is.

    Do (L) libertarian’s and (C) conservative’s really trust the people? Do they trust people to be left alone, to make decisions for themselves, about who lives and who dies?
    At the hands of an armed society?

    • “Who really supports ordinary law abiding citizens just shooting criminals on sight? When they are caught in a criminal act.”

      You aren’t even allowed to defend yourself from criminals attacking you, especially if you support the “wrong” political party. I wonder if TTAG will run a story about Jake Gardner. He stood outside his bar to protect it from rioters. Then multiple rioters attacked him. He fired a couple of warning shots in the air. Then another person tackled him. Gardner shot the attacker and was just charged with manslaughter. He committed suicide over the weekend.

      • I read this. Its very sad. A law abiding person can suffer in many ways. Because of criminals. And “the Law” does nothing to stop criminals. The Law should not stop you from stopping criminals.

    • Anyone prosecuted for defending himself must remember to not accept a plea deal, you want a jury trial, and you want it SPEEDY, as guaranteed by the Constitution, rather than after you’ve spent 5 years in solitary. Rely on citizens to refuse to convict you.

      • If you are one of those person who is proud to not vote. You have disconnected from the society. As many claim they have. You try to get out of jury duty. Then how can you support a person who is on trial for their life? Using jury nullification?

        Do you have a civic duty to society or not?

        • Never tried to get out of jury duty. I’ve been on several juries, once denied a fake “slip & fall” dude suing Wynn Dixie, once (correctly) decided on a car wreck, once we put away a child molester, and once we put away for life three Traveling Vice Lords for murder on charges brought by the Feds. Was Jury Foreman on the last two, the gangbanger one was a month, and happily voted GUILTY! Conversely, if I was ever brought up on a self-defense charge, I’d want me on the jury.

  9. “Minnesota Freedom Fighters: Armed Black Men Protecting Their Community”

    From whom…???
    ANYTIME the naacp is involved, nothing good can come of it…
    I foresee this going south a rapid pace…

    • “From whom…???”

      When you read the entire article, they imply that they’re protecting their community from far right whiteys. The reality is, they’re protecting their community from far left activists, which was supported and promoted by democrats and the MSM. Typical propaganda.

      • The people who live there should be the ones to step up.

        Contrast that with inner-city neighborhoods where those who live there cower indoors while the gangs rule the streets. Imagine the change that would happen if all the little old ladies on a fixed income were packing when they go to the corner bodega for groceries…

    • I will say it because no one else will. Blacks are protecting themselves from white communist’s. From white atheist’s. From white anarcho capitalist. From the white Liberals and white Leftists.

      It is the white Liberals and white Left who are responsible, for burning American cities, and burning American forests to the ground.

  10. I wouldn’t trust anything promoted by Unicorn Riot, a pro-Antifa propaganda outfit for the Democrat Party.

  11. Go read the entire article. The propagandist writing is a joke. They do the usual if police see BLACK men with guns they’ll just KILL them, but those white terrorists with guns always get a free ride!

    From the article: “But they also understand that Black men armed with legally registered guns are viewed differently by many in law enforcement and other parts of society than, say, white militia members who stormed state capitols waving their firearms without repercussions in recent months.”

    Then, later in the article, they completely bust the myth they’re pushing: “At a summer Freedom Fighters event, a patrol officer stopped and posed for selfies with members of the group during a 30-minute visit.”

    You should see how they paint Rittenhouse and Reinoehl. What a joke.

    Articles like this are the reason Yahoo recently got rid of their comment section.

    • I read the whole story and the author somewhat “used” Black Americans taking up arms to defend life and property as an excuse for something to write about and then use it to attach his dribble. Sort of like democRats attaching pork to a stimulus bill.
      As the article progressed it loses sight of Blacks working with the police and goes off in different directions. It will leave some politically inept readers with a head full of crap. For more astute readers the focus remains on Law Abiding Citizens standing and protecting life and property from dumb animals of various shapes, sizes and colors.

    • I noticed that, too.

      The article also goes on, about midway through, to talk about several incidents where armed black militias did the *exact same thing* the Michiganders are vilified for…milling around in a large group, waving weapons around in public…and not only did no one get shot, they got high-fives all around and STILL ARE.

      Lies and the lying liars who tell them… But there’s a narrative to maintain.

  12. I agree with ‘Dude’ up here ☝️About Jake Gardner,
    Now the courts seem to be getting into the b l m
    mindset… Gardner got screwed.
    “”” FREE KYLE”””

  13. How many whites are supporting the blacks with guns, guarding their neighborhood? It seems to me the problem here is that blacks and whites do not want to help each other. If white men guarded the businesses along with black men, maybe to problems would go away.
    Blacks as well as whites do not support the homeless druggies and drunks that squat in their neighborhoods. Sadly, the police seem to herd the problem people into the poorer neighborhoods(which make these hoods even worse). There are a lot of good people in these neighborhoods. They fight the good fight every time they go out to church or the store, leaving their homes subject to break in. I grew up in a bad area and we had visitors often when we left as a family. The only reason we didn’t get burglarized is that we had nothing of value they would want, but the signs of a break in were there.
    When people realize that they are all in the same boat and join together as Americans and neighbors, we can start healing as a country. Passing laws that give priority of one group over another just causes suspicion and hatred. This was done in the USSR, everyone was equal, but ethnic groups just closed ranks. Jews and other non ethnic Russians were part of the revolution, but were not really welcome to the party.

  14. This is rich. A bunch of black men are never going to protect black-owned business against burning and looting by another bunch of black men. They will stand around and complain about whitey, and that’s it.

    • Though I’m not a black man, if I had the choice to protect my business or complain about whitey, then I would protect my business.

    • You might be surprised if white Liberals and the white Left would just get out of the way. And follow Col Jeff Coopers advice. “just let the inner folks have guns. And they will solve their own problems themselves”.

      from 2017. We already talked about this on TTAG.

      Hurricane Harvey looters get a SURPRISE!!! video 6 min long.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_GhtfUUR7s

  15. They make it about race.

    That’s where they lose me. You see they are black folks destroying communities, they’re white folks, they’re brown folks too. It’s made up of all races.

    So instead of making your policing the community about one race, how about you drop the race baiting too and we can all get on board. Until then fuck you too. And get out of the fucking streets.

    • They live in a black community, therefore the people in the community, protecting the community are black. Maybe you are upset at the leftist bent of the person who wrote the story, and the way they portrayed Rittenhouse and Reinoehl?

      • It’s probably more about who they think they’re protecting it from (all the racist white people…which they seem to think is all of us). Although we definitely shouldn’t trust what the article tells us about that, considering how badly it misrepresents almost everything else.

        • Dunno. I’m sort of two minds on this.

          On the one hand my brother in law, who lives and works in downtown Minneapolis, says that the city is effectively run by race-based gangs at this point. Being Korean he can pass through asian and white communities to head back to WI to visit his parents but that he has to go around the black and latino areas.

          OTOH, just yesterday I was at a gun store in Memphis that was fuckin’ poppin’, especially the attached range (pun intended here). So I was listening to the variety of people there who were buying guns, ammo, mags, whatever and/or using the range. Regardless of skin color they all seemed to have an identical attitude as expressed by a conversation between an older white guy and an older black man both of whom seemed to agree that the deal was “If you come to my community and get all riotous, we shoot you regardless of skin or politics”.

          All very cordial with everyone armed, lots of Sirs and Ma’ams… strange huh? I mean with all those people mixing together and the politics of today you’d think the blacks and whites would have just gone all Mass-Shooty McFuckface on each other right there in the store and kicked off this race war good and proper, right? [yes, /sarc for the smoothbrains]

        • “All very cordial with everyone armed, lots of Sirs and Ma’ams… strange huh?”

          Welcome to the south. 😉

          • @Dude

            Yes Sir!

            My parents were from the Deep South. When I was growing up every “Yes”, “No”, “Please” and “Thank You” was immediately followed by a “Sir” or “Ma’am” or there were consequences…

            I still say “Sir” or “Ma’am”…too old to change lifelong habits now.

    • To me, it is pretty simple. If you identify as a color, any color, before you identify as an American, you are the problem.

      You racebaiters are going to be on the losing end of this stick. A lot of people forget what makes Americans, Americans. We wont be under anyone’s thumb, especially yours. We will not be made to shutup through your demented moral compass. The true patriots no matter their race, religion or beliefs will stick together.

      Actions have consequences. Be sure to have the funds to cash that check before you write it.

  16. Got the popcorn ready. I’m so waiting to see how this pans out when the rioters realize the Democrats don’t really have their back (nor their support), push this thing just a little too far with the folks they claim to be rioting for, and the powers that be–regardless or political persuasion–turn on them. If the cops don’t crack down soon enough the population will do it or them.

  17. Minnesota Freedom Fighters = Terrorist ANTIFA BLM

  18. Antifa/RCP is a White supremacist cult. They care no more for the interests of Black people than Hans Kammler did for the interests of the Jews he worked to death building Me262s and V2s.

  19. What a joke. I can’t believe the truth about guns is painting this in a positive light. Minnesota doesn’t allow open carry of long guns. This is the starting of a gang. Every street gang starts out saying “muh neighborhood” and than 2 years later they are selling crack and shooting people for the color of their shoes. I’m Calling it now, this is the police and state government complacent as a new street gang forms. They are already illegally carrying firearms in plane view. A Minnesota permit to carry does not allow open carry of long guns. Minnesota is not an open carry state.

    • The real joke is the police standing around with their thumbs up their butts watching cities burn to the ground, on their own or at the direction of Democrat crypto-Marxists.

    • Actually, Minnesota issues a permit to carry… it is somewhat misunderstood and I find myself explaining it to fellow gun owner’s frequently. It doesn’t differentiate between long gun or handgun, nor concealed or open. A lot of the rules were implimented with regard to facilitating hunting regulations (I. e., not having to unload guns while driving between stands, etc.). So, if they have a Mn. carry permit on them, they are good to go. The question is, do they have said permits?

  20. This Los Angeles Times article refers twice (once in the text and once in a photo caption) to the Minnesota Freedom Fighters being armed with “legally registered guns.” But neither Minnesota nor Minneapolis maintains a firearm registry.

    Perhaps the writer and editors are unaware that not everywhere is like California?

    • If there’s anything lazier than a left wing “journalist”, I’ve never seen it.

      It used to be “who, what, when, where, why”.

      Now, it’s “narrative, narrative, narrative”.

  21. Just let everyone carry & let the future take care of it self, open carry makes a polite society, the punks don’t last long in this type of atmosphere.
    Sure there will be collateral damage at first but that’s the gamble of life. Live like a thug, DIE like a thug…,
    “”” FREE KYLE”””

  23. So, I wonder what would happen if I, a middle-aged White man, exercised MY Rights and walked those streets armed with a rifle? I mean, I support their Rights. I’ll bet I’d find that this is a “Blacks Only Club”.

  24. Thankyou strych9 for proving Libertarians don’ t support property rights. So you don’t support shooting a looter. Because he or she didn’t use violence to steal??? Wow. Your Libertarianism philosophy is a bankrupt

Comments are closed.