http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/mbs.cgi/mb1075995 http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/090400/tex_waco.shtml Web posted Monday, September 4, 2000 6:13 a.m. CT 'This isn't another Waco' Wary eye cast at armed suspect, family holed up in house By ANGELA K. BROWN The Associated Press TRINIDAD - With holsters slung across their hips, three bearded men wearing camouflage hats and torn jeans sit in folding chairs at the end of the dirt driveway. Homemade signs in various sizes and colors hang from the gate, barbed-wire fence and tree trunks: "We are militia and will live free or die!" "Disobedience to tyranny is obedience to God!" "Notice to all public servants. No trespassing - survivors will be prosecuted." For six weeks, a felony assault suspect and more than a dozen of his relatives - including seven children - have been holed up in a remote part of a ranching community about 50 miles southeast of Dallas. The adults stand guard 24 hours a day. John Joe Gray, 51, charged with trying to take a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper's gun and biting him after a traffic stop, said he won't surrender. He has a two-year supply of food and arsenal of weapons on this 50 acres beside the Trinity River. He even has built a bunker marked "kids inside." In a handwritten note delivered by a friend, Gray told authorities to bring body bags if they step on his land. "We don't want to hurt anybody, but we're going to defend our property," said his wife, Alicia Gray. "Joe didn't do anything wrong, and we just want to be left alone." So far, authorities have done just that. Henderson County Sheriff Howard "Slick" Alfred has taken no action to prevent people from delivering food and supplies nor has he set up round-the-clock surveillance. Alfred insists there is no plan to storm the property. "There's never been a standoff or a siege. This isn't another Waco," Alfred said. "Joe Gray is just something else in the normal work day. I really think he'll get tired of all of it. He's just kind of pinned in there." The subject of another Waco is a sensitive one in Texas. In 1993, David Koresh and about 80 of his Branch Davidian followers died after a standoff at a compound near Waco, about 75 miles from Trinidad. It began 51 days earlier when federal agents tried to serve members with search and arrest warrants, and the ensuing gunfight killed four agents and six Davidians. Waco became a rallying cry for religious and militia groups. Some of them - fueled by Internet rumors of increased police surveillance, federal involvement and an impending raid - now are calling on members to go to Trinidad by the busload. So far, several have responded. Michael Treis heard about the Grays' saga a few weeks ago and drove to this East Texas town from Alexandria, La., where he leads the Yahshua Messiah Seventh-day Ministry. Treis, his wife and teen-age son have been staying with the Grays ever since. "It's pretty bad when a pastor has to strap on a gun and protect a family from an attack like Waco," said Treis, adjusting his shoulder holster. "If things start taking a turn for the worse, there'll be more people here." Authorities said they hope that doesn't happen. Ed Miers, a former police chief in nearby Malakoff, has been mediating. He is trying to ease the Grays' distrust of the government while urging authorities to back off further. But false reports spread by some radical groups could hinder negotiations, he said. "One lie in a situation like this can be volatile," Miers said. Others want law enforcement to be more aggressive. Keith Tarkington said he thinks his ex-wife, who is the Grays' oldest child, is keeping their two young sons on the property. Tarkington has not seen the blond tots since April 1999, when Lisa Gray Tarkington moved in with her parents, he said. Their divorce was final in August 1999, according to documents filed in Henderson County District Court. Tarkington was given full custody of 4-year-old Joe Douglas and Samuel, who will turn 3 this month. Sheriff Alfred said removing the children was too risky even before the so-called standoff, but now he does not want to risk bloodshed by storming the Grays' property. Tarkington already fears for their safety. He contends that the family would not leave the compound even for a medical emergency. And the house has no air conditioner since the electricity was turned off months ago for nonpayment. "I just want my kids back, and the police should do their job and go in there and get them," Tarkington said. Alicia Gray will not say whether Tarkington's children are there. But she said she has seven grandchildren and confirms that seven youngsters are staying on the property. Tarkington said authorities have long feared John Gray, a carpenter who has been involved in the militia and distributed anti-government literature for years. Alicia Gray said the family thinks the government is so corrupt that people should only recognize God's authority. The Grays also were involved with the Republic of Texas, which fosters the idea that Texas is an independent nation, until the group splintered after the 1997 standoff in West Texas involving its former leader. In December, highway patrol officers in nearby Anderson County pulled over a speeding car in which John Gray was riding and found weapons. John Gray then allegedly got into a skirmish with a trooper and was indicted in March. John Gray and his family left the property occasionally until in mid-July, after hearing a rumor about an impending police siege. Chip Berlet, senior analyst with Political Research Associates, a think tank in Somerville, Mass., is an expert on militia activity. Based on what authorities have learned from other standoffs, he said, Henderson County officials are handling the Gray case appropriately. "This is a dilemma for law enforcement because they know that going in there with extreme force can end in tragedy, but on the other hand, it sets a bad example in terms of people obeying the law," he said. "But the issue is not whether law enforcement is insulted but whether justice is done. Ultimately, the government has more power." Meanwhile, the Grays are fishing, hunting and living like others do in the country, Alicia Gray said. The family has generators, a spring-fed well and a cell phone and gets food deliveries from friends. Their house and cabin, hidden by a thick grove of trees, are a few hundred feet away from the narrow dirt road that winds between cow pastures and cotton fields. Jonathan Gray, one of the couple's children, said they have no plans to leave. "We've lived here 16 years and never had a problem with the law," he said. "We're a peaceful people - until we're provoked." ==================================================================== The following Chronology of events is organized from the bottom to the top. If you are new to this page, read the articles at the bottom first. If you have been here before, then read the articles that are located at the top. The John Joe Gray incident is getting international attention. Please read the articles with discernment. The issues are much deeper than what appears on the surface. This is a war over kingdoms. http://www.embassyofheaven.com/current/johnjoe.htm Independent Republic of Texas Gets Trade and Commerce Recognition from more than 140 Countries of the World http://www.apfn.org/apfn/independe.htm