The Sundown Siren

The Insurgence: Sheriffs

How are far-right groups shaping the future of law enforcement and racial justice across America? After George Floyd's murder by police ignited global protests, a dark story unfolded in the small town of Minden, Nevada. Through firsthand accounts, this episode traces the chilling reality faced by racial justice protesters in 2020—who were violently run out of town by militias in coordination with their local sheriff. With echoes of the town's long history of vigilantes and law enforcement working hand in hand, this underreported story exposes the dangerous alliance between far-right militias and county sheriffs, fueled by the national network of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.

Featured in this episode:

• Ilya Arbatman, an independent researcher and activist from Reno, Nevada.
• Bert Johnson, KUNR senior correspondent.

Further reading:

• Political Research Associates tracked at least 400 incidents of paramilitary and far-right threats to 2020 racial justice protests.
• There’s a long history of far-right militias and White supremacy groups in Nevada. This guide by Political Research Associates, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), and Indivisible Northern Nevada details some of that history.
• Read this local account of the incident in Minden, Nevada on August 8, 2020.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was also written by Cloee Cooper. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.