“We hope people realize this is serious.”
A Louisiana driver was stopped and detained for having a “Don’tTread on Me” bumper sticker on his vehicle and warned by a policeofficer about the “subversive” message it sent, according to thedriver’s relative.
The situation developed in the small town of Ball, La., where areceptionist at the police department told WND she knew nothing aboutthe traffic stop, during which the “suspect” was investigated for”extremist” activities, the relative said.
A man identifying himself as a police officer from Ball calledWND later to report that the town’s records of traffic stops did notinclude this situation. He suggested it might have involved one ofseveral other agencies that work in the area.
It followed by only a few weeks the release of a Department of Homeland Security report, “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment”, which prompted outrage from legislators and a campaign calling for the resignation of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
The report, which cites individuals who sport certain bumperstickers on their vehicles as suspect, was delivered to tens ofthousands of local law enforcement officers across the nation.
WND is withholding the driver’s name and the relative’s name at their request.