Is John Bel Edwards At The Same Risk As Michigan’s Governor?

This week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Michigan law enforcement say they broke up a domestic terrorist plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Authorities have charged 13 people with various crimes tied to the alleged scheme.

According to authorities, the terrorist plot in Michigan involved blowing up a bridge to create a distraction, kidnapping Governor Whitmer, taking her over state lines into Wisconsin, then holding a makeshift trail for treason, and executing her when she was found guilty. The men involved went as far as calling real estate agents to get information on the area around the Governor's summer cottage, training to build IEDs (improvised explosive devices), and stockpiling weapons.

The men belonged to a group called "Wolverine Watchmen", who have been called an antigovernmental "alt-right" group with ties to white supremacist movements by Michigan's Attorney General. While investigators haven't tied the group to any other official organization, they have said that the group's ultimate goal was to create a "civil war".

Yes, a civil war.

Some of the men being accused of organizing this militia group have shown ties online to the Boogaloo Boys. The term "boogaloo" is taken from the 1984 movie "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo", and represents the term "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo". Social media platforms have been flooded with content from "boogaloo" supporters all year, and have taken multiple steps in an effort to control the content, fearing something like this plot could result from it.

The main accelerant behind the terrorist plot in Michigan was Governor Whitmer's COVID-19 response and restrictions. Those involved in the plot had voiced their opposition to the COVID restrictions in the state, as many residents protested Whitmer's decisions. Which is similar to what's happened in Louisiana. Where Governor John Bel Edwards has faced opposition to his COVID restricts, as well as organized protests.

So the question is, does John Bel Edwards face the same dangers as Michigan's Governor?

The short answer is...yes.

Inside Louisiana, there are more than 30 groups designated as "Hate Groups" or Anti-Government militias, like the group arrested this week in Michigan. Additionally, there are more groups just over the boarders in Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. In fact, there are at least 3 hate groups, and 3 antigovernmental groups operating in the Shreveport area. 

Just in the Shreveport area, you can find groups like III% United Patriots, American Patriots Three Percenters, and the Gulf Coast Patriots Network, who have all been identified as antigovernmental extremist groups. Shreveport has also had evidence of other neo-Nazi groups operating in the city over the last few years. These groups are the same as the Wolverine Watchmen in Michigan, which was the group who planned to kidnap Governor Whitmer.

It is possible that the terrorist plot in Michigan was an isolated incident. But with the increased rhetoric and the upcoming Presidential election serving as a "wildcard", there's a lot of fear that more could be on the way from these groups. Just this week, the Department of Homeland Security released their first "Homeland Threat Assessment", where they identified white supremacist groups are the deadliest terror threat the United States currently faces.

So with these hypothetical threats now becoming a reality, the Department of Homeland Security making these strong statements, and the amount of these types of groups around Louisiana, there may actually be a constant threat the our Governor might have similar plots against him.