from Taking Insurrection too far?
The manhunt for Eric Frein lasted nearly two months, draining the resources of both local and federal policing agencies as he quickly climbed to the FBI’s number one spot on their most wanted list. This came after his alleged September 12th ambush on Police Barracks in Pike County, PA. In Eric Frein’s own account from journals police recovered – “I Got a shot around 11 p.m. and took it. He dropped. I was surprised at how quickly he dropped. I took a follow-up shot on his head and neck area. He was still and quiet after that. Another cop approached the one I just shot. As he went to kneel, I took a shot at him and (he) jumped in the door. His legs were visible and still”.
He was apprehended October 30th, caught wandering near an abandoned airport. He was unarmed at the time, but his weapons were later recovered. In a symbolic act, the U.S. Marshals used the handcuffs of the dead cop to make his arrest. There was said to be no resistance during the arrest, although Frein suffered a cut to the bridge of his nose, as well as a scrape over his left eye and bruises to his cheeks and eyes. More recently, a letter to his parents was publicly released along with the announcement that he will be charged with two counts of terrorism, in addition to a series of felonies. The letter reads, “Tension is high at the moment and the time seems right for a spark to ignite a fire in the hearts of men. What I have done has not been done before and it felt like it was worth a try.” He then goes on to describe the need for a revolution while also admitting he has no idea what that would look like, while also telling his parents he apologizes and never meant to be identified in the first place. It is rumored he has since told police it was a planned assassination.
While everyone echoes the media’s perceptions on his mental illness, many self-identified anarchists will toe the same line; “He was mentally disturbed and sick with anti-government right wing ideology”. Yet any case of this being truthful is only a representation of the failures of Anarchist tension to influence on a broader scale. What we know of this case has major differences than your average story of a crazed far-right individual going on a frenzy. For instance, this wasn’t an attempt at “suicide by cop” or a rampage, but in Frein’s own words, “an assassination” that he never meant to be identified in. There are nearly zero observations on how the explanation of “tensions being high” and “igniting fire” is on par with the early rise of insurrectionist activity in the United States. It was, referred to by many during this time, as “propaganda by the deed”.
Another observation many fail to make is that he has had previous encounters with the law leading up to these moments. In 2004, he was accused of burglary to which he failed to appear to trial for. He was then arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant. He served over 100 days in county before accepting a plea deal, bringing the charge down to misdemeanor theft and a few thousand dollars in fines. What is mental illness in relation to this? It is but a minor scuffle with the justice system, but he seemed to understand this as being connected to something greater with his words claiming “tensions are high”. Think about everything leading up to that moment, and what occurred at the end of summer. That is the mental illness and insanity declared by the state, and reaffirmed by everyone else. Though, is it not insane that murderers have shot and killed nearly 10 unarmed people while not facing the terrorism charges Frein has? This seems to be a representation of the true insanity of the justice system, in which the life of one cop is worth more than the life of any average person.
The intention with all of this is not to glorify any person or to even create illusions of grandeur in relation to this entire fiasco. The intention is to ask questions: Why do Anarchists fail to tie this into a growing tension? Where are the insurrectionists that love glue, and paint but always take a step back when someone “takes it too far”? Shouldn’t someone who sees themselves as being in a struggle against concepts of justice be welcomed, or are people too concerned about the fact that they haven’t had the chance to adhere to a strict Anarchist doctrine yet? This could be the case, but there was also much talk of the “mental illness” of Eric King.. someone who openly identified as an Anarchist, definitely had some solid theory down, but failed in an attack on a politician’s office. If he had succeeded it would have been arguably the largest clandestine act carried out by American Anarchists in years. That same feeling of him “taking it too far” could be felt in the air even amongst Anarchist circles, and yes even the ones who love communiques about glue and paint. Anarchists make arguments against the concept of “the time not being ripe”. Yet those same proponents of insurrectionist theory and praxis can be found taking two steps back, while others are isolated for “Taking Insurrection Too Far”.
