One of my guilty pleasures - especially late at night when I'm winding down - is watching YouTube videos of people getting arrested while claiming to be sovereign citizens. I don't know why these entertain me so much. Maybe it's their confidence. Maybe it's their absolute detachment from reality. Maybe it's just the look on the cop's face when someone says, "I don't consent to your jurisdiction."
If you're not familiar with what a sovereign citizen is, let me ruin that innocence for you.
These are folks who believe that the law doesn't apply to them. At all. Traffic laws? Nope. Taxes? Absolutely not. Court orders? Sorry, judge, I don't recognize your authority.
They typically claim they've found some legal loophole - usually on a shady website or in a grainy PDF from 1993 - that proves they're not subject to state or federal law. Some of them flash fake diplomatic credentials they bought online. Others file gibberish legal documents filled with caps lock and the phrase "flesh and blood living man." Huh?
I saw one where the guy - let's call him Bob Smith - stood in court and kept saying, "I'm here representing Bob Smith." The judge asked, "Are you an attorney?" and the guy just repeated, "I'm here representing." The judge, not having it, replied, "Well, if Bob Smith isn't here, I'm issuing a bench warrant for his arrest." At which point the guy snapped back, "I am the flesh and blood man, Bob Smith!" Like somehow identifying as a carbon-based lifeform grants legal immunity. You could practically see the logic circuits in the judge's brain trying not to fry.
Some even say they belong to fictitious nations like the "Moorish National Republic" or that they've "revoked their corporate personhood" and therefore can't be arrested.
Spoiler: they get arrested anyway.
One of my favorites was a guy pulled over for expired plates who told the officer, "I'm not driving, I'm traveling." As if renaming the activity somehow nullifies every law written since 1901.
I especially love when they refuse to roll the window down. The officer tells them to do it, and instead they crack it just barely enough to yell through, like they're negotiating a hostage situation. Then the officer asks for ID, and that's when the legal word salad begins: "I don't need a license to drive. I'm not driving. I'm traveling. I'm not engaged in commerce. I don't consent to your jurisdiction."
Meanwhile, the cop is just trying to keep a straight face. And honestly, I give these officers a lot of credit - they're way more patient than I would be. You can tell pretty quickly that they recognize the sovereign citizen codewords, because the next thing you hear is that little mic click as they call for backup. You'll see them stall, go back and forth for a few minutes, calmly explaining: "Well, in the state of Florida - and pretty much every other state - if you're operating a motor vehicle, you are required to identify yourself and present your license. Refusing to do so is a separate offense. And if I give you a lawful order to exit the vehicle, and you don't comply, you can be arrested for that too."
And then backup arrives. That's when the tone changes. Suddenly, it's: "If you don't exit the vehicle, we're going to break the window and remove you." You can see the sovereign citizen's confidence deflate like a bad souffle.
And this is the part that never fails to make me laugh: the screaming. These guys go from smug constitutional scholar to panicked toddler in under five seconds. They cry. They yell. "You can't do this!" "You'll be sued!" "I'm a private citizen!"
Sorry pal. You're also under arrest.
There's something about these videos that just scratches an itch. It's like watching a slow-motion logic trainwreck. They try so hard to sound educated while reciting YouTube law-school nonsense, and then act shocked when the window gets broken and the handcuffs come out. It's not just funny - it's a cautionary tale about what happens when you believe everything you read online without a basic understanding of civics, history, or reality. (1)
If you haven't discovered this rabbit hole yet, I highly recommend it. There are a ton of these sovereign citizen (2) mockery channels on YouTube. My favorite is VanBalion. Here's his awesome 2024 compilation. Another favorite is Team Skeptic. He focuses more on courtroom drama - where these idiots try pulling their crap in front of a judge.
Resistance is futile. Especially when the judge holds you in contempt.
(1) Watching these sovereign citizen videos reminds me of some of the geniuses I argue with online - usually on Facebook - who have absolutely no clue what they're talking about when it comes to history, science, logic, or reality in general. They'll spout off a bunch of nonsense and then proudly say, "Well, I did my research." Sure you did. You watched a couple of TikToks and skimmed a blog post from 2014. Meanwhile, I'll reply with a dozen links to actual news sources, academic journals, and primary documentation - but I know full well they're not going to read a word of it (not even the abstracts). I never say something unless I can back it with verifiable, checkable evidence. They, on the other hand, will send me a link to some fringe website.
(2) Some of these guys will say "sov cit" which I didn't realize was an abbreviated form of "sovereign citizen" at first. I was like... what? VanBalion does have a bit of an accent.
P.S. I swear, when I'm done teaching computers, my next mission in life might be to inject some actual science, logic, and reason into people. The problem is, once you've made it into adulthood without ever learning how to think critically - without ever encountering the scientific method in a meaningful way - I'm honestly not sure if that can be fixed. But hey... I'm still willing to try.
I have the same guilty pleasure of watching Sovereign Citizen movement videos.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
I had a neighbor in Colorado, in the 70s, who swore he didn't owe income taxes because of some crackpot constitutional theory.
He went to federal prison on his convictions (both senses).
I am the living man!
Michael Olgren
@Reply 10 months ago
I'm fine with you enjoying this, but it is not for me. It just makes me sad that so many people in this country have lost their grip on reality. And generally, these people cannot be redeemed. They cannot be persuaded by facts, even when hit in the face by reality (arrested, in this case). They are lost.
You can see something similar in the currently popular 1 (progressive) vs 20 (alt-right) video out there. To see a young man gleefully exclaim "I am a fascist!" just makes me sad. I don't feel "better" than him. I bemoan that fact that he has fallen prey to the cult-- brainwashed. His sphere of understanding cannot even be called a reality.
I just like to see justice being served. And when you get people who are ignorant of the law and the officer tries to explain it to them, and they still refuse to comply, then they get justice. And they learn that actions have consequences. These are the kinds of people that in a prehistoric setting would have been weeded out by evolution. If the tribe tells you that creature will kill you, and you're like, "No, I don't believe it." And you keep going and poking that creature with a stick, and it finally kills you? Well, you learned your lesson.
Bill Carver
@Reply 10 months ago
That means you're ready for On Patrol Live Friday and Saturday nights on Reelz
https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
I have had some discussions on the topic, from a social/legal perspective. I'm born into a country, not of my own free will. If I think the laws are wrong or unethical, but I'm powerless to change them, do I have to move somewhere else? Do I have to accept the logic of Socrates? The USA loves to tout "freedom", but am I really free in this situation? Here in Colombia they talk about responsibilities whenever "rights" are discussed (odd that isn't mentioned much in the USA--it's just, "my rights, I have rights!").
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
Richard YouTube is full of videos of police that are more ignorant of the civil rights and constitutional laws than the ordinary citizen. I for one can't wait until their immunity is done away with, and their union/pensions start paying for their ignorance, instead of the taxpayers.
Thomas you are correct in that too many people are quick to shout about their rights without giving a care to their responsibilities - like making sure they renew their driver's license or registration.
Just like with any cross-section of people, you'll have good cops and bad cops. In my experience, most officers I've encountered have been professional and decent people. And the data seems to back that up. Studies show that serious misconduct is concentrated among a small minority of officers, and only a tiny percentage of police-public interactions involve any use of force. Are there bad cops on power trips? Sure. But they're the exception, not the rule. The majority of police officers do their jobs professionally, and it's a small but highly visible minority that causes most of the problems and generates the bad press... and the YouTube videos. You're not going to see someone post a video of the time they got pulled over, were given a ticket, and everything went just fine.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
Richard My dad was a cop, with an exemplary TO. However, he got stuck with a bad cop, that shot a black perp in the back and planted a gun. The entire department, except his TO, turned on my dad when he refused to sign a false report about the shooting. He got death threats against his family (me and my mom at that time.) He resigned and became a teacher. It was a long time ago, and he, with the help of his old partner who became Sheriff of Santa Barbara, cleaned up a very corrupt department some twenty years later. I doubt he had the misfortune of being involved with the only two bad departments in the USA. As an evidence expert, over the years, he got many supposedly good cops fired for their bad behavior, not only in the SB department.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
Richard Because the law is one of my "hobbies", I've watched thousands of YouTube videos on various police detainments and arrests. Only twice have I seen a supervisor reverse the decision of an obviously rogue cop that has overstepped his authority. Most support the false recounting of events that the camera clearly refutes. Thank goodness for cell cameras. Now, we just need IA guys that aren't afraid to use those videos against blue and union protected thugs.
Matt Hall
@Reply 10 months ago
In my experience, in Indiana, the State police are the most professional and then the county Sheriffs. The city police are more hit and miss.
Unfortunately, even if only 1% of police are dirty, that still generates a lot of victims. As Thomas pointed out, there is a lot of internal pressure to "cover" for them. If they won't clean their own house, someone else eventually will.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 10 months ago
Matt The California Highway Patrol (the CA version of a state police) has a supposedly good reputation. However, I caught two officers, on different occasions, in perjury. I reported it to the judge, the station watch commander and the DA. I provided video evidence that clearly showed the perjury. Want to take a guess which, if any pursued the matter? They are all afraid of the CAHP (the union).
Matt Hall
@Reply 10 months ago
The sad part is that all of the honest, public serving officers are having their reputations diminished by the dirty ones.
Immediately after 911, all first responders were held in similar high regard. What changed? I have never heard of a Defund-the-Firefighters movement.
Defund-the-Police looked to me like a crude attempt for people to clean the police's house. The First Amendment Audits look like the next attempt to gather evidence and public support toward the same end, reform.
To me, the police are essential in a civilized society but every corrupt act is, itself, a new crime. Anyhoo, back to access... :)
I'm sure there are more than a few bad apples out there, and I'll admit this isn't something I'm not an expert on. I'm just going by my own anecdotal experience and what I've seen firsthand. I've had some interactions with the police over the years, and by and large, the officers I dealt with were decent people doing their jobs.
Sorry, only students may add comments.
Click here for more
information on how you can set up an account.
If you are a Visitor, go ahead and post your reply as a
new comment, and we'll move it here for you
once it's approved. Be sure to use the same name and email address.
This thread is now CLOSED. If you wish to comment, start a NEW discussion in
Captain's Log.
