Wakefield standoff
{{Short description|2021 Interstate 95 militia standoff in Massachusetts, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{update|reason=Needs update on criminal charges|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Wakefield standoff
| place = Interstate 95 near Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S.
| combatant1 = Members of the Rise of the Moors and others
| combatant2 = Wakefield Police Department
{{flagicon|Massachusetts}}Massachusetts State Police
| casualties1 = 11 arrested
| casualties2 = 0
| result = Rise of the Moors members and others captured
}}
On July 3, 2021, a standoff occurred between individuals, some of whom are alleged to be members of a militia group called Rise of the Moors, some of whom were armed, and state and local police officers on Interstate 95 in Wakefield, Massachusetts.{{Cite news |last=Paz |first=Isabella Grullón |date=July 3, 2021 |title=11 Arrested in Armed Roadside Standoff in Massachusetts |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/03/us/wakefield-ma-lockdown-rise-of-the-moors.html |access-date=July 3, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited}}{{Cite news |last=Boryga |first=Andrew |date=July 3, 2021 |title=Heavily Armed Militia Group Shut Down Massachusetts Highway in Bizarre Standoff |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/armed-militia-group-called-rise-of-the-moors-shut-down-interstate-95-in-wakefield-massachusetts |access-date=July 3, 2021 |url-access=limited}}{{Cite news |last=Lonas |first=Lexi |date=July 3, 2021 |title=Armed standoff shuts down Massachusetts highway, prompts shelter-in-place |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/561459-armed-standoff-shuts-down-massachusetts-highway-prompts-shelter-in-place |access-date=July 3, 2021 |work=The Hill}} This incident began when an officer with the Massachusetts State Police responded to stopped vehicles and allegedly found several in the group carrying long guns, side-arms, and wearing body armor. Police said the group claimed to be traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for training on privately owned land.{{cite news |last1=Hilliard |first1=John |last2=Crimaldi |first2=Laura |last3=Milkovits |first3=Amanda |last4=Lyons |first4=Jack |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/03/metro/state-police-standoff-with-armed-men-i-95-wakefield/ |title=Group of men involved in hours-long highway standoff expected to face 'a variety of charges' |access-date=July 4, 2021 |work=The Boston Globe |date=July 3, 2021 |url-access=limited}}{{cite news |last1=Crimaldi |first1=Laura |last2=Milkovits |first2=Amanda |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/03/metro/group-called-rise-moors-broadcasted-live-standoff/ |title=What is 'Rise of the Moors,' the R.I. group that broadcast live from the I-95 standoff? |access-date=July 4, 2021 |work=The Boston Globe |date=July 3, 2021 |url-access=limited}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/03/metro/see-photos-standoff-interstate-95/ |title=Photos, video: the Interstate 95 standoff |access-date=July 4, 2021 |work=The Boston Globe |date=July 3, 2021 |url-access=limited}} The standoff lasted several hours and resulted in eleven arrests, ten of whom are adults and one child.{{Cite news |first1=Caroline |last1=Anders |first2=Desmond |last2=Butler |date=July 3, 2021 |title=Hours-long standoff between police, heavily armed men in Massachusetts ends with 11 arrests |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/03/massachusetts-police-standoff/ |access-date=July 3, 2021 |issn=0190-8286 |url-access=limited}}{{Cite news |last=Mogensen |first=Jackie Flynn |title=New, weird details just emerged about an armed militia standoff in Massachusetts |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/new-weird-details-just-emerged-about-an-armed-militia-standoff-in-massachusetts/ |access-date=July 3, 2021 |date=July 3, 2021 |work=Mother Jones}}{{Cite news |date=July 3, 2021 |title=11 people in custody after hourslong armed standoff on I-95 |url=https://apnews.com/article/armed-standoff-wakefield-massachusetts-9ee61b69ca96bb5ce212f56651f0dd11 |access-date=July 3, 2021 |work=AP News |agency=Associated Press}}
Background
Rise of the Moors is a New England group whose members identify as Moorish Americans.{{cite news |last1=Morrison |first1=Heather |title='Rise of the Moors' classified as antigovernment group by Southern Poverty Law Center |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/07/rise-of-the-moors-classified-as-antigovernment-group-not-hate-group-by-southern-poverty-law-center-adding-there-has-been-no-actual-violence.html |work=MassLive |date=July 6, 2021}}{{Cite news |first=Michelle |last=Williams |date=July 3, 2021 |title=What we know about the group engaged with state police in I-95 shutdown |url=https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2021/07/what-we-know-about-rise-of-the-moors-group-engaged-with-massachusetts-state-police-in-interstate-95-shut-down.html |access-date=July 3, 2021 |work=MassLive}} An Instagram account connected to the group says its goal is to continue the work of Noble Drew Ali, founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America.{{Cite news |date=July 3, 2021 |title=Massachusetts armed group arrested after stand-off with police |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57706098 |access-date=July 3, 2021}} According to The Washington Post, the group is part of the Moorish sovereign-citizen movement, who claim immunity from local, state and federal laws.{{cite news |last1=Hauptman |first1=Max |title=What to know about Rise of the Moors, an armed group that says it's not subject to U.S. law |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/04/moorish-sovereignty-rise-of-the-moors/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 4, 2021 |url-access=limited}} Similarly, the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Rise of the Moors as an "anti-government group"{{r|Morrison}} and identifies the Moorish sovereign-citizen movement with the broader sovereign-citizen movement.{{r|Williams}}
Aftermath
About two weeks after the standoff, some of those arrested filed a $70,000,000 civil rights and defamation lawsuit against media outlets, the Massachusetts State Police, some individual troopers involved in the standoff, the presiding arraignment judge, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for "violating the claimants civil, national and human rights."{{citation |title= Rise of the Moors members involved in armed standoff sue state police, judge |agency= AP |date= July 28, 2021 |work= boston.com |url= https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/07/27/rise-of-the-moors-lawsuit/ |access-date= July 30, 2021}} The suit was dismissed as it would involve federal intervention in state court proceedings and that the allegations did not demonstrate any defamation.{{citation |title=Federal judge dismisses lawsuit brought by Rise of the Moors after I-95 standoff in Wakefield |date= August 18, 2021 |work= wcvb.com |agency=AP |url= https://www.wcvb.com/article/rise-of-the-moors-lawsuit-dismissed-by-federal-judge/37342002 |access-date= August 23, 2021}}
At arraignment, all of the adults arrested and charged entered pleas of "not guilty", although some later changed their plea to "guilty" as of mid-2024. Several of the adults allegedly changed their names to Moorish Science inspired names.{{Cite web |title=11 People Charged After Standoff In Wakefield On I-95; 8 Publicly Identified By Police |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/11-arrested-charged-armed-standoff-i-95-wakefield-rise-of-the-moors/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=July 3, 2021 |language=en-US}} Many of the cases are still pending in Middlesex Superior Court as of mid-2024. Many of the individuals initially were representing themselves, but were also provided an indigent lawyer, or privately retained a lawyer. As of mid-October 2022 all of the defendants have been released from pretrial detention.
On June 18, 2024, Jamhal Tavon Sanders Latimer and Steven Anthony Perez were found guilty on multiple gun charges related to the standoff.{{Cite news |date=June 22, 2024 |title=2 men convicted in 2021 armed standoff on Massachusetts highway |url=https://apnews.com/article/armed-standoff-i95-rise-of-moors-massachusetts-8875bf38d2017cafbe7e15bbcc7a8611 |access-date=July 17, 2024 |work=Associated Press}}
On July 16, 2024, Jamhal Tavon Sanders Latimer was sentenced to three to five years in prison for his involvement in the standoff. Steven Anthony Perez was sentenced to just over a year. Both received an additional four years of probation.{{Cite news |date=July 17, 2024 |title=2 men sentenced in 2021 armed standoff on Massachusetts highway |url=https://apnews.com/article/armed-standoff-i95-rise-of-moors-massachusetts-eb3aa2830abe4d08acd2bcfdffb0afd3 |access-date=July 17, 2024 |work=Associated Press}}