Weaver Family

In the mid 1980s, Randy and Vicki Weaver purchased 15 acres of land, and built a cabin, in a remote location in Idaho. Skeptical of the government, convinced that the apocalypse was approaching, and heavily armed, they decided that living off the land, in seclusion, was the way to spend the rest of their days.

The Weavers identified themselves as "white separatists". Vicki had read literature that fed her radical beliefs, and had become engrossed in the idea that end times were fast approaching. The Weavers regularly attended white supremacist gatherings and mingled with the members of these groups. The move to Iowa to Idaho, had placed them near people who shared in their beliefs and fed their distrust in the government and law enforcement.
Within a decade of their relocation, the government would validate some of their radical beliefs.

It did not take long for the federal government to show an interest in the patriarch of the family, Randy Weaver. The Feds viewed Weaver as a potential informant and were trying to secure him as an asset.
They suspected that he was involved in illegal gun sales, and in 1989 obtained proof of this, when he sold two sawed off shotguns to an undercover agent. It is unclear as ot whether this was entrapment or coincidence. The Feds then tried to convince Weaver to be an informant against the white supremacists, he declined.

So it Began

In 1990, Weaver was charged with a firearm charge that violated federal law. He was summoned to appear in court in 1991, but never appeared. Rather than face charges Weaver holed up in his cabin with his family, for the next year and a half, rarely leaving. Vicki Weaver wrote threatening letters to government officials, that furthered the belief that the Weavers were dangerous and would not cooperate in any attempts to secure Randy's arrest. Weaver, his wife, his teenage son, and another teen, Kevin Harris (who lived with the Weavers) were always armed even while they were on their own property.

Unsure of how to carry out the arrest of Weaver, the investigation was slow moving.
In August 1992, six federal agents entered the Weaver property to begin surveillance, but things quickly escalated into much more. One of the Weaver's dogs alerted the family to the agents presence. It is still unclear who fired the first shot, but Weaver's 14 year old son Sam, the family dog and a US marshall all died during that first encounter. An 11 day siege followed. Protesters from various groups, and locations gathered just outside of the Weaver's property to protest the government's actions against the Weavers. After the death of the marshall, the FBI claimed jurisdiction and the scope of the mission changed, this urged the agents to use deadly force on any armed adult on the property.

The following day, when visiting the body of his deceased son in a shed, Randy Weaver was shot by a sniper. Injured, Randy headed for the house where Vicki had opened the door for his swift entry. Vicki, who was holding her baby, was shot in the head and killed by the same sniper, the baby was unharmed. The same bullet that killed Vicki, lodged into Kevin Harris, injuring him.
Reluctant to surrender after the death of his son and wife, Weaver continued to elude capture until the end of August. Civilian negotiators finally convinced Weaver to surrender on August 30th, after negation with the government failed to produce results. This allowed for him and Harris to receive medical attention. The surrender was achieved partly by convincing Weaver it was good for the remaining 3 Weaver children, who were coexisting with their mother's dead body in the cabin. Supplies in the cabin to care for the children were also dwindling by now.

The End Result

Harris and Weaver were both indicted following their surrender. Harris on murder and Weaver was charged with aiding and abetting Harris after the Agent's death. After nearly a year in jail, the trail began. The jury deliberations were lengthy. Due to the fact that no one was in agreement about what actually occured during the first encounter in August, both Harris and Weaver were acquitted. It is still unclear who took the first shot. Weaver did serve some time in jail, for failure to appear for his first charge of violating federal gun laws.

Several government agents were reprimanded for their involvement in the standoff. At the conclusion of the trail, a couple high ranking officers were suspended for their misconduct during the Ruby Ridge standoff. In 1995, after filing a civil suit against the United States for the death of their family members, the Weaver's won a settlement of more than three million dollars. Kevin Harris also won a settlement in the civil case he filed. Ruby Ridge is an important event to be aware of, a sad and possibly extreme example of what "can" happen at the hands of the United States government.

Who is to blame? Over twenty years later, I urge you to come to your own conclusion, because it still isn't definitive. The danger the Weavers posed was exaggerated, and the standoff resulted in preventable deaths.

It falls in the "gray area" for me.

So many factors contributed to the standoff, it becomes hard to pinpoint who is to blame.

Ruby Ridge validated many people's distrust in the government and fears about government misconduct. Ruby Ridge influenced the modern day militia movement, and also may have influenced the outcome of the incident in Waco in 1993, with the Branch Davidians, and the 1995 bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma.

As always, thanks for reading.

Sources

http://www.pixabay.com

http://www.famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1152-home

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/an-idaho-family-and-federal-tactics-under-siege.html

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/26/ruby-ridge-1992-modern-american-militia-charlottesville

http://amp.usatoday.com/story/593539001/