Vigilante

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A vigilante is someone who takes enforcement of law or moral code into his own hands. The term stems from a Spanish term meaning private security agents. It has most probably been introduced recently in English from the southwestern United States, in the same way as folkloric terms like "desperados" in the past. The term is frequently applied to citizens who "take the law into their own hands," meting out "frontier justice" when they think the actions of established authorities are insufficient. Vigilantism is sometimes vilified when it gives way to criminal behavior on the part of the vigilante.

Contents 1 Interpretations 1.1 Traditional 1.2 Classical vigilantism 1.3 Neo-vigilantism 1.4 Pseudo-vigilantism 1.5 Cyber-vigilantism 2 Characters 2.1 Law enforcement 2.1.1 Hollywood 2.1.2 Real-world 2.2 Comic books 3 Examples 3.1 Non-fiction 3.2 Fiction 3.2.1 Films 3.2.2 Television 3.2.3 Video games 3.2.4 Literature 4 References 5 External links 6 See also

[edit] Interpretations

These are perspectives of vigilantism are used in varying contexts:

[edit] Traditional

The traditional view of vigilantism is that some people see the government as being ineffective in enforcing the law, so they justify violent acts in order to bring about justice.^[1] Observers view vigilantes acting out so called "vigilante justice," if the delivered justice is not enough or is not delivered, the vigilante will correct the outcome with more punishment or personally deliver the punishment themselves.^[2] Also, some vigilantes have different values of ethics and recognize moral laws being superior or a higher priority than governmental laws; with regard to their unlawful actions, they believe that the ends justify the means.

[edit] Classical vigilantism

Classical vigilantism was practiced widely in the "late colonial or early federal period" to protect against fake religious practitioners.^[3] Hine, a law clerk, points out the context of classical vigilantism of those people who "were concerned with protecting home and hearth from marauders."^[3] At these contemporary times, classical vigilantism has been observed to this date as was seen after the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina where private security kept vigil over rich owners' homes from looters when law enforcement pooled resources to areas of dense population for crowd control.^[4]

[edit] Neo-vigilantism

San Francisco Vigilance Movement in the mid-1850s gave rise to neo-vigilantes.^[3] Hine points out that "neovigilantes often targeted religious and ethnic minorities for persecution."^[3] Using the cliche "a person who takes the law into their own hands," neovigilantes are associated with group vigilance as shown in numerous examples in history. Such watchdog groups include neighborhood watch groups and U.S.-Mexico border minutemen that keep vigil over wrongdoers, however, do not exercise violence or use force against these people but are expected to call for criminal activity.^[5] In some cases, these vigilantes perform verbal abuse in attempt to make the lawbreakers turn around, stop, and rethink their illegal activities, or simply terrorize them.^[6] Some of these vigilantes have no criminal intent but they remain vigilant and attempt to aid in efforts where law enforcement lacks resources to cover a vast territorial range. Groups like the KKK take the cliche "a person who takes the law into their own hands" to a higher level with excessive violence and intimidation and are considered vigilantes as mentioned in historical records. But, the KKK historically has exercised violence against Blacks when legal colored segregation laws at time where were in effect.

[edit] Pseudo-vigilantism

Pseudo-vigilantism recognized as a phenomenon in the 1960s-1970s is a result of a rise in United States criminal activity with a mix of notable controversial cases resulting criminal dubious outcomes partly due by the intended victim of the crime.^[7][3] Historical records cite Bernhard Goetz setting precedence and is a classic example of pseudo-vigilantism. The defining difference between self-defense and pseudo-vigilantism is the anticipation aspect, as with Goetz, he anticipates the threat and was the first person to initiate the first attack, or pre-emptive attack, versus four potential criminals. Because in these cases, the victim has to defend oneself from the victimizer in a life-or-death situations where imminent danger is present because police help is unpractical.^[7]

[edit] Cyber-vigilantism

The 1990’s^[7] marked the dawn of Internet age where accessibility of erotic information such as pornography can be done almost immediately at home, accessibility to naive and risqué under age children though instant messaging and chatrooms is convenient, and accessibility though many different internet venues catering to perverts though secret chat channels is of concern and not under the watch of law enforcement.^[8] As a result, vigilantes, or so called hackers with interest of law enforcement, justify breaking computer crime laws to protect the innocent and to protect the young ones. For example, a young adult Canadian hacker sent trojans to suspected pedophiles then stood vigilant over their activies, bringing former Californian Superior Court Judge Ronald C. Kline to 27 months to jail and prosecuting other child porn downloaders.^[9] This hacker broke California state law and maybe others that do not allow for unauthorized programs such as viruses in unauthorized computers, but he never got prosecuted.^[10] Also in this next example, in the U.S. media show Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator in concert with the Perverted Justice cybergroup, using social engineering techniques and borrowing a page out of neo-vigilantism, by being vigilant and not breaking the law, this group coerces child molesters to come by and see them in person to be arrested on the spot by law enforcement. A majority of these vigilantes are non-violent and non-confronting compared to previous historical renditions of vigilantes from previous decades.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Law enforcement

Using the phrase "no one is above the law," including government, citizenry view the bad apples of law enforcement of "taking the law in their own hands" by delivering so called "vigilante justice" that express excessive force or abuse of their positions or in some cases carry out illegal activity.

[edit] Hollywood

The Hollywood vigilante had its development in the 1960s^[11] and 1970s^[12] at the time were the cop theme was being popularized and as censorship of production of these movies declined with the change of American values. These cops are said to express unrelenting and uncompromising violence towards anyone who got in between both the vigilante cop and criminal that broke laws to accomplish their objectives.^[11] For example in the movie Léon where there was a DEA agent without any reprimands kills members of an innocent family even a young child to target a drug criminal.

[edit] Real-world

Others observe and express the vigilante cop as a true phenomenon. Their citizenry sees these well paid outstanding cops as being oppressive and uptight and when it comes to the law. Take for example, Lt. Buck "loose cannon" Roth of the Oakland Police Department who expresses his own justice when he "ambushed and gunned down a suspected killer in a Bay Bridge–area warehouse, even though the suspect was not armed at the time"^[13] and not given the chance for a court hearing. Futhermore he expresses his frustration, "am I supposed to just stand by and watch the clowns at HQ let these depraved bastards slip through the cracks?"^[13] Buck illustrates, "the whole system is rotten to the core. Not one of these detectives, assistant DAs, court clerks, process servers, or parking enforcement officers knows his ass from his elbow."^[13] This officer would be considered a vigilante cop because he felt he was taking up extra duties where, as he said, "the Alameda County criminal justice system has failed its citizens time and time again."^[13]

[edit] Comic books

Vigilantism in the comic book arena has its basic concepts in several fictional genres, including stories published in dime novels and comic books. Many of the heroes of pulp fiction, such as Doc Savage and The Shadow, and comic book superheroes such as Batman and Daredevil are vigilantes because they operate outside the law in order to combat lawlessness. In fact, virtually any super-hero, including Superman, and Spider-Man can be considered vigilantes if he or she is not acting under the direct authority of a law enforcement agency or other government body. A key example is Watchmen, a DC Comics limited series of the late 1980s written by Alan Moore, in which superheroes are portrayed by society and government as illegal vigilantes. Also of note is the DC comic book character of the 1940s and revived in the 1980s, the Vigilante.

[edit] Examples

[edit] Non-fiction

• Self-proclaimed vigilante Jonathan Idema entered Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks and captured many people he claimed to be terrorists. Idema claimed he was collaborating with, and supported by the US government. He even sold news-media outlets tapes that he claimed showed an Al Qaeda training camp in action. His operations ended abruptly when he was arrested with his partners and sentenced to 10 years in a notorious Afghan prison.

• Sombra Negra or "Black Shadow," a group of vigilantes, mostly retired police officers and military personnel in El Salvador, whose sole duty is to cleanse the country of "impure" social elements. They specifically target the MS-13 gang, and have a reputation for being extremely violent.

• Ranch Rescue, an organization that is in the SW US that ranchers call upon to forcibly remove illegal aliens, squatters off of their property. This organization is still functioning.

• In present-day Davao City in the Philippines, a killing spree aimed at the city's most notorious criminals was made by unknown vigilantes, usually riding motorcycles. The killers have earned the monicker Davao Death Squad and their actions have spawned several similar incidents in nearby provinces and Cebu.

• Opponents of the website perverted-justice.com accuse the website of being modern day cyber vigilantes.[1]

• Bernie Goetz was accused of being a vigilante, although his case was legally judged to be self defense; similarly, many other cases of the use of strong force in self defense get accused of vigilantism.

• 39-year-old man in Oconomowoc kicks down door of neighbor who lives with mom after hearing the screams of a female being sexually assaulted. The accused victimizer was held hostage by the sword wielding vigilante telling the victimizer "Where is she?" However, it turned out to be a porn movie. The "police are seeking charges of second-degree reckless endangerment of safety, criminal trespassing, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct" against the 39-year-old man.^[14] It should be noted, however, that the 39-year-old has a history of criminal activity and waited over 9 hours before taking action. ^[15]

[edit] Fiction

[edit] Films

• Coffy (1973)
• Walking Tall (1973 and 2004)
• Death Wish (1974) and its sequels Death Wish II (1981), Death Wish 3 (1985), Death_Wish_4:The_Crackdown (1987), and Death Wish V:The Face of Death (1994)
• Taxi Driver (1976)
• Mad Max (1979)
• The Exterminator (1980)
• Vigilante (1983)
• Exterminator 2 (1984)
• Above the Law (1988)
• Batman (1989) and its sequels Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997)
• The Punisher (1989 and 2004)
• Falling Down (1993)
• A Time to Kill (1996)
• The Boondock Saints (1999)
• Payback (1999)
• Chopper (2000)
• Skins (2002)
• A Man Apart (2003)
• Daredevil (2003)
• Man on Fire (2004)
• Batman Begins (2005) and its sequel The Dark Knight (2008)
• The Devil's Rejects (2005)
• Sin City (2005)
• Hard Candy (2005)
• See No Evil (2005)
• The Vigilante: Fighting Hero of the West (1947)
• Outlaw (2007)
• Hot Fuzz (2007)

[edit] Television

• Dark Justice (1991-1993)
• Swat Kats (1993-1995)
• Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
• Tales from the Crypt (TV series) "The Man Who Was Death" (1989-1996)
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 (1997-1998)
• Vengeance Unlimited (1998-1999)
• Dark Angel (2000-2002)
• Jericho (2006-Present)
• Dexter (2006-Present)
• "Homer the Vigilante," episode in the fifth season of The Simpsons (1994)

[edit] Video games

• Renegade (1986)
• Double Dragon (1987)
• Vigilante (1988)
• River City Ransom (1989)
• Final Fight (1989)
• Streets of Rage (1991)
• Max Payne (2001)
• The Punisher (2005)

[edit] Literature

• The Virginian by Owen Wister (1902) - The first American western novel based on the theme of "frontier justice."

• Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. Without Remorse is explicitly about an ex-US Navy SEAL wiping out a gang of drug dealers.

• Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in two novels by crime novelist Jeff Lindsay, Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004) and Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005). In 2006, the novels were adapted into the Showtime TV series Dexter. In the TV series, Dexter is played by Michael C. Hall. By day, Dexter is a blood splatter expert for the Miami-Dade Police Department. By night he hunts down and kills those who he feels "deserve to die". These are usually violent criminals (murderers, rapists, etc) who Dexter thinks have escaped justice.

• A Stout Cord and a Good Drop, by James Gaitis (Globe Pequot 2006). A lengthy literary work of historical fiction based on a rigorous analysis of the facts associated with the Montana Vigilantes, the infamous Montana hanging spree of 1863-64, and the foundation of the Montana Territory in the midst of the American Civil War.

[edit] References

1. ^ Vigilantes & Deputies: Lesson from the Past.
2. ^ "As for Violent Crime that's our Daily Bread": Vigilante violence during South Africa's period of transition.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Hine, Kelly D.. VIGILANTISM REVISITED: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE LAW OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SELF-HELP OR WHY CAN’T DICK SHOOT HENRY FOR STEALING JANE’S TRUCK?.
4. ^ Hurricane Katrina Revisited: Twenty-first Century Lynching and Land-stealing.
5. ^ Viligante Minutemen.
6. ^ Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Vigilante Roger Barnett - Border Vigilantes Armed With Assault Weapons Terrorize Local Douglas Families And Children Victims file civil lawsuit against Barnett family & call for state prosecution.
7. ^ ^{a b c} CYBERTERRORISM AND CYBERVIGILANTISM.
8. ^ Vigilante hacker.
9. ^ Excerpts from California Penal Code 502.
10. ^ Ex-judge Gets 27 Months on Evidence From Hacked PC.
11. ^ ^{a b} A Brief History of the Detective Film.
12. ^ Cop Action Films.
13. ^ ^{a b c d} Vigilante Cop Acts As Judge, Jury, Prosecuting Attorney, Bailiff, Stenographer, Executioner.
14. ^ Frake, Donna. "Porn movie causes trouble for two men", Oconomowoc Focus, Townnews.com, 2007-02-16.
15. ^ Stevens, Jim. "Man with sword has criminal record", Oconomowoc Focus, Lake Country Publications, 2007-03-08.

[edit] External links

• Lyrics to Vigilante Man by Woody Guthrie.
• Vigilantes Countering Terrorists in the Wild West-ern World at Legal News TV
• Historical Deadwood Newspaper accounts of George Keating and O. B. Davis hung by vigilantes for stealing horses 1878

[edit] See also

• Internet vigilantism
• anti-hero
• Bald Knobbers
• Pixelante
• San Francisco Vigilance Movement
• lynching
• Jonathan Idema
• Bounty Hunter
• Honor Killing