The Riot fAct

Part II

It’s a truism that enterprising Americans will find a way to make a buck. Around 1989, just such an enterprising American named Dan Chittock figured out a way to make more than a few bucks off the survivalists in the now booming – but, he hoped, soon to be burgeoning – Militia Movement. Chittock organized a “…national tradeshow on survivalism.” He called it the “Preparedness Expo.”

Turnout for the expos was lackluster in its first few years. Chittock knew he needed a hook…or at least a gimmick…to get people in the door. He came up with the idea to enlist “…far-right activists to speak at the event about how the federal government was hellbent on destroying individual liberties to create a “New World Order.”^[1]

You know…just normal stuff…  

You might expect Chittock to extol the merits of the Militia Movement and inform the public of how necessary to their future survival the Expos’ wares and message might be. Instead, Chittock offered this to the Washington Post in 1995, “I did what talk radio does: I created a forum for controversial and alternative ideas. It sells.”^[2]

After implementing his new strategy, Chittock’s Preparedness Expos became increasingly popular and successful year-over-year. By the time Preparedness Expo 95 was opening its doors, organizers were expecting 4000 – 5000 people. Phil Schneider, not green yet still honing his chops, would be there, too. His awkward yet earnest delivery accessible to the attention of expo-goers otherwise casually browsing apocalyptic literature and the latest gadgets to ward away impending doom. 

Scanning the headlines of articles from 1995 is enough to show you that history isn’t kind. “Nothing to fear but fear-crazed conspiracy nuts,”^[3] “Dallas survival expo draws curious and committed,”^[4] and “Expo hawks guns, politics”^[5] are a few examples.

While most of the press coverage takes cheap shots from a distance, an enterprising searcher can still find real human interest buried in some of the stories. For example, David Porter, a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel went to Preparedness Expo 95 at the Orange County Convention Center in Florida. Schneider would lecture a few months later in Seattle.

Porter’s column memorializing his visit is from June 15^th, 1995 – roughly a week after attending the Orlando expo and just about two months or so before Phil Schneider would be lecturing at Preparedness Expo 95 in Seattle. The title of Porter’s column instantly gives you an idea of his read of the experience, “Preparedness Expo was disturbing event.” Porter, writes:

I’m still trying to figure out if I was more troubled by what some of the featured speakers told the crowd in their presentations, or that the couple of thousand people at the show could be so paranoid, pessimistic and gullible.^[6]

Porter isn’t throwing stones. His piece is careful to show concern in place of derision.

Porter also throws in a twist. The Associated Press reports on the event Porter attended in the Los Angeles Times. The article begins, “White supremacists, survivalists, militia members and others gathered here Friday to share their political beliefs and stock up on survival gear…”^[7] There are historical ties between the Militia Movement and various white power organizations so it’s no surprise to find that element prominently on display at the event.

The twist is…David Porter…is black. He describes the crowd like this:

The crowd at the expo on Saturday afternoon and evening was entirely white – with the exception of me. The attendees represented a real cross-section. There were a smattering of uniformed militia members, a few skinheads, some biker types and a lot of average-looking folks.

Porter doesn’t harp on the “race card.” He mentioned the observation so readers understand that the situation was uncomfortable – for him – based on race alone.

Porter says he went to the event thinking, “…it would produce material for a funny column.” Instead, he writes, “I’m not laughing. What I saw and heard there wasn’t the least bit funny. It was disturbing, very disturbing.”

Check back for Part III!

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[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/09/24/a-show-of-strength-for-militia-movement/539d59ca-3daa-4f8b-9b83-c6e4c2178df9/

^[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/09/24/a-show-of-strength-for-militia-movement/539d59ca-3daa-4f8b-9b83-c6e4c2178df9/

[3] Fort Worth Star Telegram – March 25^th, 1995

[4] Chicago Tribune – March 27^th, 1995

[5] The Miami Herald – June 7^th, 1995

[6] The Orlando Sentinel. (June 15, 1995). . Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel/145050324/.

[7] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-10-mn-11733-story.html