JT Ready’s killing spree in Gilbert this week shocked many but surprised few. His violent rhetoric and actions as well as membership in groups with a history of violence led many to believe that Ready was a dangerous person. While many opposed Ready, little action was taken to silence him-he remained one the most prominent anti-immigrant leaders in Arizona until the time of his death. Below are 10 warning signs of Ready’s appetite for violence and racism:
10. At a rally, Ready passed out fliers signed by him which stated, “We all should be actively advocating daily to mainstream America the most humane, non-racist, fair border security plan available. Namely, A MINEFIELD! I have yet to encounter a mine which discriminates based on race, gender, creed, age, economic bracket, sexual preference, or national origin.”
9. When on a patrol of the border with his milita-style group, Ready was asked if he would detain the people they found. Ready responded on video by saying, “We’ll kill them. We’ll kill them.”
8. According to the KTRA.com, a former police officer who had to deal with Ready on more than one occasion in Arizona stated the following after the shooting, “He was one of those people who, in my two different contacts with him, he would make the hair on your next stand up…He was just one of those people who just gave you the creeps.”
7. At a Neo-Nazi rally in 2009, Ready told the crowd, “We are armed, we are free and if you want our nation, you must take it from us. We are prepared!”
6. In 2010, Ready told an Arizona news service about his border patrol group saying, “This is the minuteman project on steroids. We’ve got people with assault weapons. We will use lawful, deadly force when appropriate.”
5. As a Neo-Nazi, Ready had a particular distaste for Jews, once stating on video that Jews were “true racial supremacists that say that they are the chosen ones. They say that everyone else is two-legged cattle….”
4. On a white nationalist message board in 2010, Ready posted one of his frequent rants against Jews, stating: “The jew [sic] itself knows it is a parasite. I have had them admit as much to me and laugh in my face… But a parasite cannot carry on in its parasitic nature if it is exposed for what it really is. Their whole house of cards comes tumbling down for all to see. Like in 1933 Germany. Just because it has two legs, does not change its nature any less than a six-legged parasite stops sucking blood. There have been many pogroms when the host people stops being victims of these vampires. Another pogrom is approaching.”
3. When talking about his fear of the alleged extinction of white people, Ready stated on video “I’m not gonna stand back and let that happen.”
2. At an NSM rally in the mid 2000’s Ready was asked about Nazi Germany and Hitler. He stated that “Nazi Germany was a great country.” He also called Hitler “an excellent white civil rights leader.”
1. Ready’s border patrol militia group has stated that it has, “declared war on narco-terrorists.”
As we can see from Ready’s statements, he was clearly a violent man who had no qualms about using force to achieve his goals. Ready’s rhetoric became mainstream through his relationship with Russell Pearce, who many see as the most powerful politician in Arizona (before being recalled, Pearce was the president of the Senate and is now the Vice-Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party). Pearce must now face the consequences of Ready’s actions.