Before Ruby Ridge, the state had wielded military strategies and weapons against American citizens countless times. The civilian-targeted violence that became a feature of combat in the Vietnam War had been generated, at least in part, by policing tactics in urban communities of color. After the war, military training of police departments and paramilitary units such as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams brought violence home once again and disproportionately targeted the same communities.
Such an important theme: that black and poor people have been subject to actual violence and terrorism from the state for centuries. The white power version of victimization varies in its authenticity, but it never takes into account the experiences of POC. And the attacks on poor and POC communities don't garner the sympathy of mainstream white Americans like the white power "victims" do.
