# A U-Haul full of "Patriot Front" extremists pulled over on their way to Pride event **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 12, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067 "2022-06-12T15:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/1 "2022-06-12T15:09:32Z")
> **[31 Patriot Front Extremists Aiming To 'Riot' At Idaho Pride Event Arrested:...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coeur-dalene-pride-event-riot_n_62a52bc1e4b0cf43c849dd90)** > > The white supremacists, who were dressed in nearly identical uniforms and masks, "did not come here to engage in peaceful events," said the local sheriff. At least 31 of the assholes in what must have been one stinky U-Haul van. To paraphrase a Utube comment: Do you know what I’m doing this weekend? Not sitting in jail thinking about how the gays ruined my life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/2 "2022-06-12T15:20:24Z")
Next time I plan to start a riot I’m getting everyone to drive themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/3 "2022-06-12T15:21:21Z")
Grateful to the sharp-eyed witness who saw them loading up at the hotel (motel?) and called it in. Unfortunately, what they are being charged with is only a misdemeanor, and only one of them is from Idaho, so the others will go home (at some point) effectively without a blot on their escutcheon – at least not a new blot. I can imagine that they picked Idaho for their criminal activity because they thought there might be more support among the populace for it, and less fighting back. It would be nice to think that at least these individuals have come to the attention of the police and perhaps feds, but I doubt there is the manpower to track these yahoos around to see what they are going to get up to next. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/4 "2022-06-12T15:40:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Next time I plan to start a riot I’m getting everyone to drive themselves. Parking is really tight in Coeur D’Alene. Carpooling is appreciated, even if the purpose is to vandalize and harass. > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > At least 31 of the assholes in what must have been one stinky U-Haul van. The must really like the smell of testosterone, flatulence, and stress. But then, these guys are…kind of weird and confused about themselves: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jdlXkgUGLv4/maxresdefault.jpg "Why The Far Right Are So Weird About Sex | Decade of Hate") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdlXkgUGLv4) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/5 "2022-06-12T16:16:20Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Unfortunately, what they are being charged with is only a misdemeanor, and only one of them is from Idaho, so the others will go home (at some point) effectively without a blot on their escutcheon According to the article linked in the OP: “information was only preliminary and that an investigation was continuing into any other possible activities the group may have been plotting.” So maybe more charges will be forthcoming? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/6 "2022-06-12T19:42:25Z")
Whatever you may think of the Patriot Front, isn’t “suspicion of intent to riot” the sort of bullshit rousting charge that could be applied to almost any group? I hope the police had at least some probable cause to go on besides “they looked shifty”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/7 "2022-06-12T20:06:02Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I hope the police had at least some probable cause to go on besides “they looked shifty”. > Police found at least one smoke grenade in the truck, White said, and paperwork that appeared to show a master plan to riot both at the Pride event and along the main commercial strip of downtown Coeur d’Alene. He credited the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Idaho State Police and FBI with assisting in the operation From > **[31 members of the white nationalist Patriot Front arrested near an Idaho...](https://www.npr.org/2022/06/11/1104405804/patriot-front-white-supremacist-arrested-near-idaho-pride)** > > Police said the men came from at least 10 states and were planning to riot at a Pride event in the city of Coeur d'Alene. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/8 "2022-06-12T20:14:33Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Whatever you may think of the Patriot Front, isn’t “suspicion of intent to riot” the sort of bullshit rousting charge that could be applied to almost any group? I hope the police had at least some probable cause to go on besides “they looked shifty”. If nothing else, passengers riding in the back of a cargo truck would have violated a variety of road safety rules. Especially that many of them. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/9 "2022-06-12T20:22:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Lumpy](#): > > > > Whatever you may think of the Patriot Front, isn’t “suspicion of intent to riot” the sort of bullshit rousting charge that could be applied to almost any group? **I hope the police had at least some probable cause to go on besides “they looked shifty”.** > > If nothing else, passengers riding in the back of a cargo truck would have violated a variety of road safety rules. Especially that many of them. - The article noted they had shin guards and shields. Plus they wrote it down. > “It is clear to us based on the gear that the individuals had with them, the stuff they had in their possession and in the U-Haul with them, along with paperwork that was seized from them, that they came to riot downtown,” said Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White. > > Authorities said they were alerted to the group by a concerned citizen who called to report seeing approximately 20 men jump into a U-Haul truck at a hotel parking lot wearing masks, carrying shields and that they “looked like a little army,” said White. > > Police found at least one smoke grenade in the truck, White said, and paperwork that appeared to show a master plan to riot both at the Pride event and along the main commercial strip of downtown Coeur d’Alene. He credited the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Idaho State Police and FBI with assisting in the operation. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/10 "2022-06-12T20:25:52Z")
Good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/11 "2022-06-12T20:46:33Z")
Maybe this is just my level of jadedness, but the biggest surprise to me is that LEOs actually _stopped_ them. That part of Idaho has become pretty scary in general. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/12 "2022-06-12T20:51:56Z")
“Legitimate political discourse.” By the way, this was on the front page of CNN and NBC News, but I had to search for it on Fox News. Fox News’s top story had Biden making a sad face about being stymied over student loan forgiveness. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/13 "2022-06-12T20:56:58Z")
My thought upon seeing this earlier is that these are domestic terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/14 "2022-06-12T21:04:55Z")
The funny thing is if i remember right when you sign a Uhaul rental contract you agree not to use it for “human or animal cargo” as it violates several state-federal interstate commerce rules ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/15 "2022-06-12T21:06:34Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > My thought upon seeing this earlier is that these are domestic terrorists. If I’m stuck in that van, I’m hoping they’re domesticated. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/16 "2022-06-12T21:12:22Z")
“We hate gays so much that we’re going to get a bunch of guys together, and all pile into a small van so we can rub up against each other a whole bunch.” The denial is strong with these dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/17 "2022-06-12T21:46:18Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Maybe this is just my level of jadedness, but the biggest surprise to me is that LEOs actually _stopped_ them. It would bring too much attention to their more ‘legitimate’ white nationalist activities. Gay bashing comes after Coloreds and Jews in the fascist playbook. Strangers ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/18 "2022-06-12T22:14:13Z")
This article has a bit more info on the paperwork the police found on them: > [@](#): > > He did not go into detail about the paperwork that police recovered from the group, but said it “appeared to be very similar to an operations plan that a police or military group would put together for an event.” > **[31 Patriot Front members arrested near pride event in Idaho](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/coeur-dalene-patriot-front-arrests-pride-u-haul/#app)** > > All 31 are being charged with conspiracy to riot. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/19 "2022-06-12T22:17:55Z")
> People are wonderful. I love individuals. I hate groups of people. I hate a group of people with a ‘common purpose’. 'Cause pretty soon they have little hats. And armbands. And fight songs. And a list of people they’re going to visit at 3am. So, I dislike and despise groups of people but I love individuals. Every person you look at; you can see the universe in their eyes, if you’re really looking. – George Carlin ETA: Oh, and … just one piece of uplifting info about this lovely group of “men:” > The Guardian reported on 28 January 2022 that more than 400 gigabytes of private Patriot Front chat logs on RocketChat had been obtained and published by Unicorn Riot, a left-wing nonprofit media organization. The logs reveal efforts to expand membership, with the founder Thomas Rousseau writing “We are absolutely desperate for new people. We’ve been in the 220’s to 230’s membership rut for nearly a full year”. [**SOURCE**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Front#Leaked_online_chats) Things are tough all over … ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067/20 "2022-06-12T22:31:33Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > It would bring too much attention to their more ‘legitimate’ white nationalist activities. Gay bashing comes after Coloreds and Jews in the fascist playbook. True. Gotta keep those low profiles. * * * > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Strangers Which Stranger is posting today? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-haul-full-of-patriot-front-extremists-pulled-over-on-their-way-to-pride-event/966067.md?page=2)