Michigan’s Wolverine Watchmen: A Mosaic of Boogaloo, Right-Wing, and Anarchist Militiamen

Michigan’s Wolverine Watchmen: A Mosaic of Boogaloo, Right-Wing, and Anarchist Militiamen

Since a wave of protests spread across the United States after George Floyd’s death in May 2020, one armed movement that has attracted significant attention is the Boogaloo Bois. A Google Trends search of “Boogaloo” indicates the name was virtually unknown until its mentions skyrocketed on May 31. [1] On one end, the movement’s name, which mimics “Big Luau” or “Big Igloo,” is distinctly Americana: nowhere in the world but the U.S. would a group employ such references. The funny sounding name, moreover, makes the movement easy to remember: Boogaloo. Movement members’ Hawaiian-style “uniforms” equally makes them stand out.

Beyond the movement’s name, clothing and memes, however, is an unequivocal anti-police and anti-government ideology. At least six of 13 Michigan Wolverine Watchmen militiamen charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer are also Boogaloo adherents. Like Boogaloo, this Michigan militia cannot be easily pigeon-holed ideologically. The Michigan militia is not particularly right-wing or left-wing, but rather anti-government and anti-police. That being said, the militiamen’s idiosyncratic beliefs, including opposition to vaccines, COVID-19 lockdown measures, and gun restrictions, tend to align with right-wing views. Nevertheless, some of their anarchist and pro-Black Lives Matter leanings are generally associated with the Left.

This article presents a profile of 13 Michigan Wolverine Watchmen militiamen and demonstrates that the group’s ideology is closer to that of the Boogaloo Bois than anything else.

A Boogaloo Trio

Among the 13 Michigan Wolverine Watchmen militiamen, three of them – Paul Bellar, Eric Molitor and Joseph Morrison – were explicitly Boogaloo. Bellar was a U.S. Army veteran and won the Barry County, Michigan Sheriff Posse’s annual gun raffle in 2019 (bcsheriffposse.com, 2019). He was charged, among other things, with providing materials to support terrorist acts and felony firearms possession (mlive.com, October 10). Although he usually resides in Michigan, where he had been a firefighter cadet several years earlier while in high school, he was arrested in South Carolina, where his father lives (police1.com, October 11).

Bellar’s father was surprised his son held anti-government views. In this respect, Bellar resembled another Wolverine Watchman, Kaleb Franks, whose friends had neither heard him express strong opinions on politics nor knew he was acquainted with any of the Wolverine Watchmen. Franks was also more reluctant than other Wolverine Watchmen to kidnap Governor Whitmer. He even stated during training that he was “not cool with offensive kidnapping” and was “just there for training” (freep.com, October 11).

Bellar, however, may have been able to keep his father in the dark about his activities because he became increasingly radicalized only after Governor Whitmer imposed COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in Michigan. Bellar, for example, attended a June 21 anti-lockdown “Judgement Day” rally in Lansing, Michigan, to protest Whitmer’s stay-at-home order (wxyz.com, May 14). After that rally, Bellar was interviewed by the Swedish newspaper Expressen and explained to its journalists that he “had enough of the tyrannical government.” He also told the journalists about the “Boogaloo movement” and his fellow rally-goers belonging to Boogaloo. At the same time, Bellar indicated he “might get in trouble” for saying that, which suggests he was attempting to keep his Boogaloo affiliation under wraps (wtvr.com, October 12). This also may be why Bellar’s father did not know he was a Boogaloo member.

Typical of Boogaloo members, Bellar used an encrypted online chat program to communicate with fellow members. He told the Swedish journalists that his online chats included women, veterans, and others from all age groups and backgrounds, which reflects Boogaloo’s non-identitarian beliefs. Although Bellar stated he had no intention to “burn anything,” he said he believed “American civilization” was under threat and there was a need to “protect our country” (wtvr.com, October 12).

Eric Molitor, meanwhile, made references to Boogaloo on Facebook, such as: “Fuc* this government…this is why the boog is coming. We gotta stand against this shi*.” Molitor also asserted on social media that “old combat hardened vets” would make Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions, including the killing of two Black Lives Matter supporters who were chasing him in Kenosha, Wisconsin last August 25, seem like a “daydream.” This vague statement, however, did not mean Molitor supported Rittenhouse, whose pro-police orientation runs contrary to Boogaloo ideology. Like Bellar, who took part in a political rally, Molitor’s engagement in political activism involved attending a Wexford County, Michigan meeting and advocating a resolution to make Wexler a gun “sanctuary county,” which later passed (freep.com, October 11).

Like Bellar and Molitor, Joseph Morrison was also involved in Boogaloo. His nickname was “Boogaloo Bunyan.” Similar to Bellar, Morrison joined the Marines, but was discharged. Born with fetal alcohol syndrome, Morrison studied at Western Michigan University, but dropped out due to alcoholism and later lost custody of his child as a result of drunk driving. Like Bellar and Molitor, Morrison also engaged in political activism, including attending an April 30, 2020 “American Patriot” rally in front of Michigan’s Capitol building in Lansing carrying an assault rifle. The Wolverine Watchmen held training sessions at Morrison’s ranch in Jackson County, Michigan, which flaunted Confederate and Betsy Ross flags and was purchased with an inheritance (deadlinedetroit.com, October 9).

Militiamen, ‘Patriots’ and More Boogaloo

Joseph Morrison’s Americana and Confederate paraphernalia is not uncommon among Wolverine Watchmen. For example, Shawn Fix, who was accused of hosting Wolverine Watchmen meetings and training sessions, also had an American flag and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag on his front door when his home was raided (freep.com, October 12). Fix, who is from Belleville, Michigan, near Detroit, also surveilled Governor Whitmer’s vacation home, along with Eric Molitor and the twins, Michael and William Null (conandaily.com, October 11). A trucker with a record of drunk driving and assault, Fix was also a Donald Trump supporter, as evidenced by “Truckers 4 Trump” and “Honk 4 Trump” signs on his front lawn (freep.com, October 12).

Like Morrison and Fix, Barry Croft wore a colonial-style tricorn hat and posted on social media a photograph of 18th-century armed men, writing “Armed Citizens: The Original Homeland Security Since 1776” (freep.com, October 11). Croft is a self-employed trucker who was arrested for theft several times in the 1990s, for which he was pardoned in Delaware in 2019. He is the only non-Michigander among the Wolverine Watchmen. However, he was involved with the national Three Percenter militia, whose emblems he displayed on his clothing and social media accounts. He attended a meeting in Ohio with Adam Fox to discuss “creating a society” that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and was self-sufficient. This indicated Croft and Fox were influenced by Sovereign Citizens, who consider themselves free from legal constraints imposed by the U.S. government (whyy.org, October 13).

Consistent with Boogaloo, Croft sought to attack police facilities and Adam Fox brought him into the Wolverine Watchmen to make explosives. Croft and Fox attended a Wisconsin militia training session before Fox told Croft about the plan to kidnap Governor Whitmer (whyy.org, October 13). Croft’s tweets last Memorial Day also indicated his anti-government animus, derived from his belief that “every government official is responsible for the invasion of America by an estimated 35 million illegal foreign people” (delawareonline.com, October 9).

Fox, for his part, lived in the basement of a vacuum cleaner repair shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was raided by the FBI. Like Croft, he posted the Three Percenters emblem, alongside the phrase “Liberty or Death,” on social media (clickondetroit.com, October 9). The repair shop owner said he had known Fox since childhood and that Fox was in a militia, but he did not recall Fox being a white supremacist or seriously anti-government. However, he did say that Fox discussed Boogaloo, wore Boogaloo Hawaiian shirts, and told him that a battle would occur if the government ever took away gun rights (woodtv.com, October 8). Fox, who was an alcoholic and opposed wearing a COVID-19 mask, ultimately became motivated to kidnap Governor Whitmer not because of gun rights restrictions, but because he considered Whitmer a “tyrant bitc*” whose COVID-19 restrictions meant “we need to do something” (detroitnews.com, October 8; freep.com, October 11).

From Boogaloo to Black Lives Matter and Beyond

Although Boogaloo and the Wolverine Watchmen have been described as “white supremacist,” they both are generally non-identitarian and primarily anti-government and anti-police (Washington Post, October 8). One of the Wolverine Watchmen, Daniel Harris, even attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Lake Orion near Detroit last June and was interviewed by Oakland County Times. “It is a shame what happened with George Floyd and instances where law enforcement officers murder an unarmed man or woman who isn’t resisting arrest,” Harris told the newspaper. Further, he said that “riot police” were beating “protesters when they are there peacefully” and causing protesters to “lose their eyes” because of pepper spray (oaklandcountytimes115.com, June 7).

Harris, like Paul Bellar and Joseph Morrison, served in the U.S. Marines. His service lasted from June 2015 to June 2019, and included a deployment to Japan. He joined the Wolverine Watchmen shortly after that. In one Wolverine Watchmen encrypted chat, Harris wrote: “Have one person go to [Governor Whitmer’s] house. Knock on the door and when she answers it just cap her…at this point. Fuc* it” (freep.com, October 11).

Another Wolverine Watchman who engaged Black Lives Matter was William Null, who worked with its demonstrators in Grand Rapids “to help keep the protest peaceful.” William, along with his twin brother, Michael Null, and Adam Fox, conducted nighttime surveillance of Governor Whitmer’s vacation home. William also attended the same April 30 rally as Joseph Morrison at the Michigan Capitol building in Lansing and another rally in Grand Rapids last May 18. During the latter, William, despite Boogaloo’s anti-police ideology, stood alongside the city’s sheriff and rally-goers wearing military fatigues and holding pro-police flags (wwmt.com, May 19). According to the sheriff, William brought bottled water to the Grand Rapids rally and distributed it to Black Lives Matters supporters. Like Morrison and Shawn Fix, William’s house also flaunted a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. He also, like Croft, flew a Three Percenter flag (wwmt.com, October 9).

William and his twin brother Michael were also recorded by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for its documentary, “Life and Liberty,” and the two invited the ABC journalists to a shooting range. [2] The journalists previously met the Nulls at the April 30 rally and again at a June rally at the Michigan Capitol building called “A Well-Regulated Militia,” which had an “anti-tyrant theme.” The journalists saw that the Null twins were members of the Michigan Liberty Militia—an organization that disavows racism and anti-Semitism and was formed after the 2014 Nevada “Bundy Standoff” incident—and learned that the Null twins opposed the destruction occurring at Black Lives Matter protests (The New Yorker, August 17). However, the Null twins calmed tensions with Black Lives Matter protesters when the latter came near militiamen at the June rally (abc.net.au, October 11).

Another member of the Wolverine Watchmen, Pete Musico, condemned “racism…because no one’s better than another.” Musico said the “enemies” were politicians who “rob us” and the government, which “overreaches,” including by fining drivers who do not wear seatbelts (Twitter.com/robbystarbuck, October 9). Musico also warned about “Bill Gates’ vaccines” and said it would become mandatory to wear Gates’ “bracelets.” He also said he believed Donald Trump wanted the “middle class that built this country…to succeed” (deadlinedetroit, October 9; Daily Mail, October 9).

Musico and Morrison were considered Wolverine Watchmen founding members and required other members to train at Musico’s Jackson County, Michigan property (wwmt.com, November 13). They also attended the June Michigan Capitol building rally along with the Null twins, Paul Bellar, Daniel Harris and Ty Garbin. The latter was an airline mechanic who used his boat to scout Governor Whitmer’s vacation home at night and plotted to blow up a bridge to slow down a police rescue (freep.com, October 16).

Musico, who was charged in the 1990s with sexual assault and felony forgery, stated at a tactical training session last March that he once planned to throw a Molotov cocktail at the home of a police officer who pulled him over and gave him a ticket, but backed out at the last minute upon arriving at the officer’s home (wwmt.com, November 13). Although Musico wore a ‘Trump 2020’ hat in a social media video post, he also said he was “tired of hearing this stuff about Trump…I’m sick of hearing about Donald Trump…why can’t the government do what they’re supposed to…see that hat [shows a ‘Trump 2020’ hat], it’ll trigger a whole lot of people” (Twitter/atrupar, October 19).

Pete Musico, along with Brendan Caserta—another Wolverine Watchmen member, who was more anarchist-oriented than anyone else in the group—appear to have been the two Wolverine Watchmen most active on social media. Musico participated in a private Facebook group called “Boojahideen.” This term mixes Boogaloo with “mujahideen” and indicates the former’s social meme culture and sympathy for jihadists’ combat against the U.S. government (wwmt.com, November 13). In another sign of Boogaloo adherents’ sympathies towards jihadists, a Boogaloo cell collaborated with an FBI informant who claimed to be a member of Hamas (justice.gov, September 4).

Meanwhile, Caserta’s activity on social media involved posting videos from his home, where an anarchist flag could be seen on a wall in the background. He also stated police were “order followers” who are “not here to protect you” (Twitter/robbystarbuck, October 9). He further represented the synthesis of Boogaloo and anarchism by wearing Hawaiian shirts, but praising the Declaration of Independence as an “anarchist document” (Dailymail, October 9). Caserta was also among the Wolverine Watchmen seen in video footage released by the U.S. attorney’s office and originally taken by an FBI informant who infiltrated the militia. Caserta promised that “if this shi* goes down, I’m taking out as many mother fuc*ers” as I can,” because “I am sick of being robbed by the state” (tmz.com, October 17).

Conclusion

In planning to kidnap a state governor, the Wolverine Watchmen envisioned a dramatic operation unlike any other in modern U.S. history. Although the militiamen scouted Governor Whitmer’s vacation home, trained and were armed, it remains unknown whether – and probably unlikely that – they would have been able to pull it off, let alone even attempt to carry it out. At the very least, they were LARPing (Live Action Role-Playing) their grand plans to revolt against the United States and Michigan state government. Nevertheless, their active social media presence, public roles at rallies throughout Michigan, wide web of journalist and militia contacts, and loud mouths made it fairly easy for the U.S. government to monitor and infiltrate their militia. Their anti-government ideology was also well-known, and amid a pandemic and lockdown and with significant arms at their disposal, they took some serious steps toward actually conducting an attack. The U.S. government took no risks, defended itself, and the Wolverine Watchmen are now all facing long prison sentences.

Notes