According to Raw Story, a group of what they call anti-government extremists have arrived in western North Carolina, about 50 miles away from Ashville, to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This was on the 11th of October, and at first, only four people arrived, bringing no supplies. The problem is, they say that the group from Veterans on Patrol (VOP) is also threatening to destroy cell phone towers and military vehicles.
Initially, locals welcomed the help but later became wary of what some claims members allegedly made. Reportedly, members of the group have been claiming that the killer Hurricane was actually a “weather weapon” and that the US military is attempting to kill citizens with these “directed energy weapons.” You may have read similar claims circulating around social media.
EXCLUSIVE: Veterans on Patrol, an anti-government group that swooped into western NC after Helene, is threatening to sabotage cell towers and military vehicles. @rawstory /1https://t.co/Vt67a0RAxA
— Jordan Green (@jordangreennc) November 1, 2024
Veterans on Patrol (VOP) is an American anti-government militia movement founded in 2015 by Michael “Lewis Arthur” Meyer in Pima County, Arizona. Initially established to support homeless veterans, the organization has since shifted its focus toward anti-human trafficking activities along the U.S.-Mexico border. The first red flag against Meyer should be the fact that numerous sources have come out and claimed that the man is not even a veteran.
VOP’s philosophies encompass nativism, Christian nationalism, and anti-government sentiments. The group has propagated conspiracy theories, including QAnon narratives, and has engaged in vigilante activities targeting migrants and humanitarian workers. In 2018, VOP claimed to have discovered a “child sex-trafficking camp” in Tucson, Arizona, a claim that was debunked by local and federal law enforcement, who identified the site as a homeless encampment.
VOP has taken to the controversial social media platform “Telegram” to share their message. It is there they posted photos of what looked to be normal cell phone towers. A message run with the image stated that the locals “are in ‘live exercises’ where the United States military is permitted to destroy your homes, bodies and minds.”
Then there came a call to action: “Focus on tearing down their weapons”, they write. “All it takes is one weapon tower being toppled with the stated reason spoken boldly.” Next came calls to damage military equipment. Equipment, mind you, that was sent there to aid the people of North Carolina. “Simple acts of pouring sugar into fuel tanks of military equipment, backup power systems, and personal vehicles of military personnel can wreak havoc on those who murdered all these people out here.”
Yeah, don’t do that, good people of North Carolina. It sounds as if these folks have taken the short bus to crazytown.
At first, the folks from VOP seemed to be helping out. They distributed warm clothes, diapers, and tons of canned foods to grateful residents. Then Lewis Arthur began sharing tales of is time at the border, fighting cartels and pushing the need for armed security. This raised red flags with some locals and made them feel something was a bit off. Local resident Hliary Yoxall, a former Army Nurse, was quoted in The Washington Post (WaPo) as saying to another resident, “There’s something wrong here.”
The group’s activities have raised concerns about their potential to disrupt government operations. VOP has been involved in intercepting unaccompanied minors near the border, surveilling U.S.-based sponsors, and, in some cases, confronting these sponsors at their homes. They have also disguised their desert campsites as water stations to lure migrants, subsequently turning them over to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
According to WaPo, a vocal man from town began frequenting Yoxall’s Sunday prayer circles about the same time VOP did. He seemed to be fueled by a considerable amount of anti-government rhetoric. This is not too surprising as the government was slow to react by many accounts. However, when the man began talking about “Hunting FEMA” the man was reported to local police, arrested and charged with “going armed to the terror of the public.”
The armed threat has changed the way FEMA conducted its operations in the wake of Helene. In certain areas they deemed that it was too unsafe for them to call on the public individually at their homes. They are concerned that fear of the government may cause some individuals not to reach out for the help they deserve.
VOP’s actions have led to confrontations with law enforcement. In 2018, Meyer was arrested on suspicion of felony trespassing after allegedly breaking into private property in Avra Valley, Arizona. Despite these legal challenges, VOP continues to operate, with over 70,000 followers on its Facebook page.
The group’s activities have prompted federal attention. In December 2022, U.S. Senators Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker raised alarms over vigilante groups like VOP patrolling the southern U.S. border, expressing concerns about their unauthorized behavior undermining legitimate government authority and threatening public safety.
The gut feelings of the residents of small-town North Carolina had reached a tipping point, and Yoxall asked Arthur to leave. Arthur began calling himself a victim, saying that the government was behind driving him out of North Carolina. He says he’ll find private land to continue his work, and he’ll set up license plate readers to track those who are stealing from him.