Vigilante



A vigilante is a person who ignores due process of law and enacts his or her own form of justice when they deem the response of the legal authority|authorities to be insufficient. Several groups and individuals have been labeled as vigilantes by various historians and media. Vigilantes have been central to several creative fictional works and are often depicted as being heroes and retaliatory against wrongdoers.

Etymology
The term vigilante is Spanish language|Spanish for &quot;watchman&quot; or &quot;watcher,&quot; ultimately from Latin language|Latin &quot;vigilans&quot;- the present participle of &quot;vigilare&quot; (to watch). It was introduced into English language|English from the Southwestern United States. Vigilantism is generally frowned upon by Legal authority|official agencies, especially when it gives way to criminal behavior on the part of the vigilante.

Vigilante behavior
An impetus of vigilant behavior must exist to facilitate a subjectivity|subjective definition of vigilantism.

&quot;Vigilante justice&quot; is sometimes spurred on by the perception that criminal punishment is insufficient or nonexistent to the crime. Some people see their governments as ineffective in enforcing the law; thus, such individuals fulfill the like-minded wishes of the community. In other instances, a person may choose a role of vigilante as a result of personal experience as opposed to a Social actions|social demand. Most significantly, some vigilantes specifically target authoritarian entities such as government.

Persons seen as Prison escape|escaping from the law, or &quot;above the law&quot; are sometimes the targets of vigilantism.&lt;ref&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; It may target persons or organizations involved in illegal activities in general or it may be aimed against a specific group or type of activity, e.g. police corruption. Other times, governmental corruption is the prime target of vigilante freedom fighters.

Vigilante behavior may differ in degree of violence. In some cases vigilantes may assault targets verbally, terrorize victims, perform inhumane acts, or may exhibit no violence at all, choosing other means of pressuring the target. Anyone who defies government and institution to further justice can be considered a vigilante, and thus violence is not a necessary criterion.

Differences from self-defense
John Longenecker, author of The Case For Nationwide Concealed Carry of Handguns, has a different take, and explains why the term Vigilante cannot apply to individuals who resist in self-defense. Longenecker points to the underhanded activities that earned the Vigilantes their place in history by intimidating the abolitionists who opposed Slavery. Longenecker says what meets the test of Vigilante:
 * 1) The acts would have to be outside the law, as in acting without court order or other lawful action. Legally, individuals may intervene to stop a crime in progress. But, where operating without authority was what Vigilante was all about, enforcing the law or responding in self-defense does have authority in the U.S.
 * 2) The acts would have to be without a redeeming social purpose, i.e. cannot be a mistake, for instance.
 * 3) The acts would have to be righteous|unrighteous, such as a wrong act fighting for a wrong cause. Keeping slavery alive would be one such example.
 * 4) The acts would have to include a killing, and an unlawful killing at that.
 * 5) The acts would have to be a Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy, or some sort of committee action which escalates the hasty, Herd mentality|mob rule mentality with little restraint.

&quot;Fundamentally,&quot; Longenecker explains, &quot;Vigilante was killing to exterminate|silence people for Political agenda|political purposes.&quot; Self-defense cannot be vigilante because individuals may use up to lethal force when in reasonable Apprehension (understanding)|apprehension of grave danger. They are thereby not taking the law into their own hands when lethal force is allowed.

History
Vigilantism existed long before the word vigilante was introduced into the English language. In the Western civilization|Western literary and cultural tradition, characteristics of vigilantism have often been noted in folkloric heroes and legendary outlaws (e.g., Robin Hood&lt;ref&gt;&lt;/ref&gt;). Vigilantism in literature, folklore and legend is deeply connected to the fundamental issues of morality, the nature of justice, the limits of bureaucratic authority and the ethical function of legitimate governance.

During medieval times, punishment of felons was sometimes exercised by such secret societies as the courts of the Vehm (cf. the medieval Sicilian Vendicatori), a type of early vigilante organization, which became extremely powerful in Westphalian Germany during the 15th century.

Colonial era
Formally-defined vigilantism arose in the early North American colonies. In these instances, the line between &quot;taking the law into one's own hands,&quot; and rebellion or tyrannicide (to destroy an abusive political corruption|corruption of a legitimate government and vindicate moral ends) was not clear.


 * Established the mid-18th century, for instance, the Regulator movement of American colonial times was composed of citizen volunteers of the frontier who opposed official misconduct and extrajudicially punished banditry.

19th century
Image:Lynching-of-casey-and-cora.jpg|thumb|right|A lynching carried out by the San Francisco Vigilance Movement|San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1856.

Later in America, vigilante groups established themselves in poorly governed frontier areas where criminals preyed upon the citizenry with impunity.&lt;ref&gt;

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 * In the 1850s, the San Francisco Vigilance Movement was an example of secretive groups of vigilantes who cleaned up city streets of crime with a segment focused against immigrants.&lt;ref name=&quot;hine001&quot;&gt;

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 * In the aftermath of the Civil War and the South's defeat, vigilante secret societies, such as the Ku Klux Klan, which hid behind masks and robes, and the Knights of the White Camellia, arose, using violence and intimidation to continue an insurgent war, enforce white supremacy against freedmen, and to intimidate white Republicans and Freedmen's Bureau agents. With state and Federal enforcement, both died out about 1870-1871.
 * In 1868 between 60 and 70 vigilantes broke into the New Albany, Indiana jail and lynched three Reno Brothers.
 * Active in 1883-1889, the Bald Knobbers were masked men who retaliated against invading marauders and drove out outlaws in Taney County.

20th century

 * In the 1920s, the Big Sword Society of China protected life and property in a state of anarchy.
 * Formed in 1977, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been increasingly active against whaling and fishing vessels which they see as violating international laws, regulations and treaties, particularly where whaling is concerned. It endorses an active policy of scuttling fishing and whaling vessels while in harbor, and ramming and sinking vessels engaged in the killing of whales. A tally on the side of the Sea Shepherd vessel Farley Mowat displays the ten whaling vessels (referred to as &quot;Pirates&quot; by the society) sent to the bottom by Sea Shepherds:
 * 1979 – the whaler Sierra rammed and sunk in Portugal;
 * 1980 – the whalers Isba I and Isba II sunk in Vigo, Spain;
 * 1980 – the whalers Susan and Theresa sunk in South Africa;
 * 1981 – the whaling ships Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7 sunk in Iceland;
 * 1992 – the whaler Nybraena sunk in Norway;
 * 1994 – the whaler Senet sunk in Norway;
 * 1998 – the whaler Morild sunk in Norway.

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 * Founded in 1979 in New York City, the Guardian Angels is a recognized crime fighting organization that now has chapters in many other cities. It has sometimes been incorrectly called a vigilante organization. Safety Patrol members are instructed to call police, are trained in basic first aid, CPR, law, conflict resolution, communication, and basic martial arts, and are prohibited from carrying weapons.
 * Recognized since the 1980s, Sombra Negra or &quot;Black Shadow&quot; of El Salvador is a group of mostly retired police officers and military personnel whose sole duty is to cleanse the country of &quot;impure&quot; social elements. Along with several other organizations, Sombra Negra are a remnant of the death squads from the civil war of the 1970s and 1980s.&lt;ref&gt;
 * In 1984, Bernhard Goetz entered a subway train in New York and was surrounded by a group. He shot all four, fled the scene, and was called  &quot;the subway vigilante&quot; by some media.
 * Known since 1995, the Davao death squads|Davao Death Squad of present-day Davao City, Philippines unleashed a killing spree aimed at the city's (supposed) notorious criminals and children by unknown motorcycle riding vigilantes.
 * Formed since 1996, the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs of Cape Town, South Africa fights drugs and gangsterism in their region.
 * Formed since 1998, the Bakassi Boys of Nigeria were viewed as the frontmen in lowering the region's high crime when police were ineffective.

21st century (present day)

 * Formed since 2000, Ranch Rescue is a still functioning organization in the southwest United States ranchers call upon to forcibly remove illegal aliens and squatters off their property.
 * In the early decade of 2000, after the September 11 attacks, Jonathan Idema, a self-proclaimed vigilante, entered Afghanistan and captured many people he claimed to be Terrorism|terrorists. Idema claimed he was collaborating with, and supported by, the United States 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 in 2004 and sentenced to 10 years in a notorious Afghan prison, before being pardoned in 2007.
 * Operated since 2002, perverted-justice.com opponents have accused the website of being modern day Internet vigilantism|cyber vigilantes.
 * In Northern Ireland, vigilantism has been observed against drug dealers and Pedophilia|paedophiles. In one such case, a known paedophile had been released from prison early, kidnapped by a group of men dressed in black clothing and balaclavas, much like the Provisional IRA or UVF. He was stabbed twice, then, put in the back of a Ford Transit van where four Bull Mastiff dogs were waiting for him.  He was then driven around Belfast and Derry for two hours. After the dogs mauled him, he was dumped in the verges of a dual carriageway. He survived.
 * In 2007, Honor Killing|religious vigilantes in the southern Iraqi city of Basrain warning against &quot;violating Islamic teachings&quot; killed at least 40 women not wearing traditional dress and Headscarf|head scarves.&lt;ref&gt;Vigilantes Kill 40 Women in Iraq's South&lt;/ref&gt;
 * The Minuteman Project, a group created to deter illegal aliens and drug smugglers from entering the United States, was criticized for making citizen arrests.