»13 Ohio groups on same watch list as Hutaree Article on A8
The photos of the Hutaree in Michigan and the Northeastern Ohio Defense Force are uncannily similar: grim-faced men wearing camouflage, standing in the woods and bearing long guns.
But the resemblance stops there, said the statewide head of the Ohio Defense Force, which has several regional units, including one in Lebanon. “Colonel” Kenneth Goldsmith of Zanesville said his group is in business to help the police in times of crisis, not to kill them.
“Sounds to me like they’re just a terrorist or racist group,” Goldsmith said of the Hutaree, the apocalyptic Christian militia whose leaders were accused last weekend of planning a violent uprising against the government and police.
Militias and “patriot groups” have proliferated since President Obama was elected, said the Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery, Ala. A March 2 center report identified 512 active patriot groups — up from 149 the previous year. The 13 Ohio groups mentioned include the Southwestern Ohio Defense Force in Lebanon, the Constitutional Militia of Clark County and the Unorganized Militia of Champaign County.
Goldsmith said the Ohio Defense Force was established in 1989 to assist authorities in the event of natural disasters and terrorist attacks. “It’s sad that everybody gets lumped together,” he said. “We’re not racist. We do not get involved in politics.”
But Booth Gunter, spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said many violent groups don’t appear threatening. “His description sounds like the Boy Scouts, and maybe that’s accurate,” he said, adding, “ When there are people out in the woods doing paramilitary exercises ... it’s worrisome.”
About the Author