An idyllic corner of America, more specifically the northern Idaho town of Coeur d’Alene, is now ground zero for a sociocultural and political movement that has quietly grown in recent years.
Coeur d’Alene is one of the least diverse places in America, where 90 percent of the population is white and Christian. It is also now home to many disappointed and angry Trump supporters, hardline conservative Christians, die-hard Second Amendment supporters, and doomsday preppers.
They all lived in so-called American forts. Redoubt is a movement of like-minded individuals from across the United States who want to come together (in northern Idaho) to live together and prepare for the unlikely event of economic collapse and the prevalence of lawlessness and anarchy.
They are dissatisfied with the government and the way they run the country, they want to be self-sufficient and civil society must follow Christian principles. While they do have the right to assemble, they risk being manipulated or exploited by religious/political extremists looking to secede from the government.
Chris Walsh is a real estate agent with a thriving business selling properties to new jumpers who leave the big city for a place free to be what they want to be. A place where people believe in the people they want to believe in. They also want to live off the grid so they can remain safe and self-sufficient should society crumble. Many homebuyers have fled where they originally came from out of fear, he said.
This fear stems from living in a city full of crime and corruption, and they want to escape to live in a peaceful, clean, quiet countryside surrounded by other “patriots”. Safety and defense are big selling points for ski jump real estate seekers.
The region also holds a special place in its dark history of white supremacy. In 1973 Richard Butler established the headquarters of the extremely violent racist organization Aryan Nation. They are anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and support neo-Nazi beliefs. The group and their supporters often travel to downtown Coeur d’Alene in full Ku Klux Klan clothing and Nazi uniforms. They will constantly harass and bully people. The group disbanded when they attacked an Indian woman and her son and beat them badly. In 2001, the group was also declared a terrorist threat by the FBI.
Today, the tax cut movement in the United States is gaining popularity. The speaker is Matt Shea, a hardline far-right Christian nationalist, and former US Republican congressman. He was charged with domestic terrorism and backing a plan to replace the government with a theocracy. As for the future of Redoubt, there is no doubt that the movement is likely to continue to grow, just as political divisions in the United States currently do.
Directed by: Alastair Good
