Part of being a prepper is developing an understanding what might/will happen during times of societal collapse/chaos, even if that collapse just happens on a local scale.
There are times when law and order breaks down in the USA right now… I’ve seen this with my own eyes, covering events as a journalist where two groups of people overwhelm what law-enforcement presence there is and start a riot. I’ve seen it in one of my old home towns, Ferguson, Missouri, where nationally televised riots occurred right down the street from where I once lived.
I’ve also been casually and briefly acquainted with a man who’s life was ended by vigilante justice, even though I didn’t realize I had met him until years later.
In this podcast, we talk about Ken Rex McElroy and the town of Skidmore, Missouri (not so far from where I sit right now), about how people in the small town he terrorized had enough and took “justice” into their own hands.
McElroy, indeed, “had it coming”.
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While the story is fascinating all on it’s own, what does this mean for preppers? Is there a lesson to be learned?
Yes, absolutely. That lesson is this. As the rule of law breaks down, even in modern America… and even in just a local area… people will do what they have to do to protect themselves.
As preppers, we tend to focus on complete breakdowns, the big “Without Rule Of Law” or “The End Of The World As We Know It” kind of thing… when in reality, we can be involved in short-term breakdowns that are local or regional in scope. In fact, the latter is a MUCH more likely event.
There can also be partial breakdowns, where only law & order are the problem.
Let’s use Skidmore as an example.
This Wikipedia entry describes the basics of what happened that day in Skidmore:
“In 1980, one of McElroy’s children got into an argument with a clerk, Evelyn Sumy, in a local grocery store owned by 70-year-old Ernest “Bo” Bowenkamp and his wife, Lois, allegedly because a younger McElroy child tried to steal some candy. McElroy began stalking the Bowenkamp family, and eventually threatened Bo Bowenkamp in the back of his store with a shotgun in hand. In the ensuing confrontation, McElroy shot Bowenkamp in the neck; Bowenkamp survived, and McElroy was arrested and charged with attempted murder. McElroy was convicted at trial of assault, but freed on bail pending his appeal. Immediately after being released at a post-trial hearing, McElroy went to the D&G Tavern, a local bar, with an M1 Garand rifle, and made graphic threats about what he would do to Mr. Bowenkamp. This led to several patrons deciding to see what they could legally do to prevent McElroy from harming anyone else. Nodaway County Sheriff Dan Estes suggested they form a neighborhood watch.”
It was following this event but before his death that I met Ken McElroy and talked with him about his dogs at a flea market about 150 miles from Skidmore. In retrospect, I suspect he was there selling some of his stolen goods.
It continues: “McElroy’s appeal hearing was again delayed. On the morning of July 10, 1981, townspeople met at the Legion Hall in the center of town with Sheriff Estes to discuss how to protect themselves. During the meeting, McElroy arrived at the D&G Tavern with Trena. As he sat drinking at the bar, word got back to the men at the Legion Hall that he was in town. Sheriff Estes instructed the assembled group not to get into a direct confrontation with McElroy, but instead seriously consider forming a neighborhood watch program. Estes then drove out of town in his police cruiser. The citizens decided to go to the tavern en masse. The bar soon filled completely. After McElroy finished his drinks, he purchased a six pack of beer, left the bar, and entered his pickup truck. While McElroy was sitting in his truck he was shot at several times and hit twice, once by a centerfire rifle and once by a .22 rimfire rifle. In all, there were 46 potential witnesses to the shooting, including Trena McElroy, who was in the truck with her husband when he was shot. No one called for an ambulance Only Trena claimed to identify a gunman; every other witness either was unable to name an assailant or claimed not to have seen who fired the fatal shots. The DA declined to press charges. An extensive Federal investigation did not lead to any charges.
To this day, nobody has ever been charged.
I wrote an article and we made a podcast last year about how strangers will not be welcome in rural communities if the SHTF, and I believe this even more now than when I penned that article.
The idea that “outsiders” or “bullies” will be able to intimidate rural folks is just wrong, and I think the same goes in cities as well if “good people” band together to protect what is theirs.
I’m not one to advocate vigilante justice, but I’m going to say that I don’t lose any sleep at all when people like Ken McElroy end up on the wrong end of a gun… he had it coming.
Spice adds the following after reading this article: “I’ve been at prepper sites where some people claim all they need to do for preps is to make sure they’re well armed and capable with their weapons… with the implication that they’ll take whatever else they need. When I see sentiments like that, I think of what happened to Ken Rex McElroy. It makes me think that kind of ‘prepper’ will have a very short lifespan.”
For your reading pleasure, a few links with more information about this case, start with Harry McCLean’s outstanding book on the event, In Broad Daylight on Amazon.
Here’s an amateur Youtube video of Skidmore (and no, that’s not Salty in it):
Spot on.
Dear Readers: There’s been a lot of activity on this post, it is linked in other media somewhere, would you be so kind as to tell me where you found the link? Thanks!