A Chapel Hill (NC) police officer has been put on paid leave following questions about a tattoo on his forearm of the Roman numeral three encircled with stars.
“The pervasiveness of the concerns raised by many regarding his display of a tattoo that is associated with the ‘3 Percenters’ has caused the Department to question his ability to function effectively as a police officer within this community,” Police Chief Chris Blue said in a statement.
The Charlotte Observer reports that the Three Percenters is an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as “antigovernment.” It has dozens of chapters nationwide and describes its goal as “to utilize the fail-safes put in place by our founders to reign (sic) in an overreaching government and push back against tyranny.”
The group eschews the labels “antigovernment” and “militia,” instead characterizing its members as “America’s insurance policy.” Members frequently show up in military-style gear at rallies with other far-right groups, such as Patriot Prayer events in Portland, Oregon; the Unite the Right rally last year in Charlottesville, Virginia; and a standoff with the federal government over a rancher’s grazing fees in Bunkerville, Nevada.
The Chapel Hill police officer’s tattoo closely resembles the Three Percenters’ logo. His forearm also features a tattoo of the words “We the People” in the font of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. That tattoo is popular among members of the patriot movement, a loose network of people in favor of unfettered gun rights and small government that grew out of the militia movement of the 1990s.
Chief Chris Blue issued the following statement:
“The Chapel Hill Police Department placed Police Officer Cole Daniels on Administrative Leave with pay on Aug. 27, 2018. The pervasiveness of the concerns raised by many regarding his display of a tattoo that is associated with the ‘3 Percenters’ has caused the Department to question his ability to function effectively as a police officer within this community. Therefore, the Police Department initiated an administrative investigation in accordance with our Town’s Personnel Ordinances and policies and procedures. Daniels will remain on leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Consistent with our Council-Manager form of government, and our Town’s Disciplinary Process, any potential serious disciplinary action will be taken in consultation with the Town Manager’s Office and the Town’s attorneys.”
While it seems that a lot of emphasis has been placed on what the Southern Poverty Law Center has said about the group, officials from Three Percenters’ continue to push back from the claims that they are “anti-government” and more importantly i t his case, has anyone actually asked Officer Cole Daniels what the tattoo means?
In today’s environment of punish, destroy and never ask questions, we highly doubt it.
