In the north of Montana, in a wooded area on the border with Canada, is the Trego hunting area. Secluded, among just over 500 inhabitants, Dakota Adams grows up in what he describes as a far-right, conspiratorial bubble. The bubble was created by his father, Stewart Rhodes. One of the main men behind the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021. Stewart Rhodes is one of the main men behind the storming of Congress in the United States in 2021, and the father of Dakota Adams. The eyepatch is supposed to come from him accidentally poking himself in the eye. Photo: Collin County PD / AFP But one day was enough. The son had made up his mind. He was to take his five younger siblings and his mother away from his father. The escape was planned for two years, step by step. Early one morning they were to drive off. But the father had had one of his manic fits this morning. He was waving a machete around in the living room. – That made it difficult for us to sneak past, says the son. But they made it, almost. When everyone was in the car, the father suddenly came out and called for them. – I thought we had to drive away quickly, before he had time to shoot at our tires. A conspiratorial bubble Imagine growing up believing that the authorities are after you and your family. At any time they can come to the door. They will kill your pets and send you to a concentration camp. – That’s how I thought the world was as a child, says Dakota Adams. At a rest stop in northern Montana, he shares his story with Thomas Seltzer in connection with the filming of season three of “UXA – Thomas Seltzer’s America” Adams is the oldest of six siblings and was born in 1996. All seems to be going well for the Rhodes family on this picture, but behind the facade another story is unfolding, we are to believe the son Dakota Adams. Photo: Private The father has a background in the military and is a trained lawyer. Several unsuccessful choices in his career led him and his family into isolation, according to Adams. – It was a recurring pattern that we moved between different social “military circles” every two years. The family also struggled financially. They were behind on the rent and the bills were piling up. – We couldn’t afford food. Often we had to eat frozen apples and oatmeal that Stewart had buried underground in preparation for doomsday. Dakota Adams and his younger siblings as children. Photo: Private Raised in the “correct” ideology The family stayed away from public school. The father did home schooling instead. – He wanted to keep us away from “toxic” left-wing influence and to avoid us being exposed to “wrong” ideas. Dakota Adams as a child. He tells of growing up in what he describes as a far-right, conspiratorial bubble. Photo: Privat But Stewart was not a particularly good teacher, says Adams. The curriculum had little structure and was characterized by military methods. – Suddenly he could go into manic periods where we had ten-hour days of training in knife fighting, before he isolated himself and we didn’t have school for several months. Their home was crammed with weapons and military equipment, he says. It was stacked in bookshelves and up the walls. In 2009, Rhodes founded the far-right anti-government group “Oath Keepers”. – The far-right bubble only got worse. From that point on, his view of the world completely dominated my life. “Oath Keepers” “Oath Keepers” is a collection of right-wing anti-government extremists, founded by Elmer Stewart Rhodes in 2009. They claim to have around 38,000 members, but surveys show only 5,000. They focus on recruiting current and former military, police and first aid personnel. They believe the federal government is controlled by a shadowy conspiracy that seeks to disenfranchise American citizens. Several members have been arrested for various criminal activities. These include various firearms violations, conspiracy to obstruct federal workers, possession of explosives and threats against public officials. Source: Anti-Defamation League and Wikipedia. Felt ashamed As a founder, Rhodes gained a lot of power and a strong network, says Adams. “Oath Keepers” has several thousand members. The father took his teenage son to military events. – He threw me into military exercises with people who knew what they were doing. There were navy hunters and war veterans. – Stewart looked at me and laughed at how bad I was, at the same time he got mad because I wasn’t able to represent the family in a good way. Dakota Adams says his father laughed at him when he was thrown into military events with war veterans as a teenager. Photo: Privat As the eldest son, Adams was supposed to be part of his father’s outward image as a strong leader in the “Oath Keepers”. He was supposed to be the result of growing up in a “perfect” ideology. Adams felt that he did not live up to these expectations. It made him feel ashamed. – I failed to live up to being the son who was supposed to help present the lie that “Oath Keepers” stood for. Plans to escape But the son was so indoctrinated by his father’s ideology and view of the world, that it took a long time before he understood that something was wrong. – I was the last in the family to understand who my father really was, but at one point he was so unstable that it was dangerous to stay at home. In 2016, 20-year-old Adams and his family begin planning an escape. Dakota Adams says he was the last in the family to understand that something was wrong. Only in his early twenties did he decide to plan an escape. Photo: Privat Everything had to be planned down to the last detail in order for the family to manage to escape and stay away from their father and his network. Among other things, they had to have a car in their own name and enough money to finance a lawyer who could help the mother with divorce papers and a restraining order. news has tried to get in touch with Stewart Rhodes. The allegations against him have been submitted to his lawyers and the prison he is serving in. They have not responded to our inquiries. Will not arouse suspicion Two years later, in 2018, everything was clear. Early in the morning they were to flee. Adams, his five siblings, his mother and all the luggage were going into Adams’ five-seater. But in the living room the father was already awake. He practiced martial arts with a machete. The father must not be suspected. – We had to slowly sneak out the luggage, one at a time, every time he turned his back. It went well. Everyone was in place in the car. The last thing Adams did was pick up the family dog. He told his father that they were going out to buy groceries. When they were ready to drive, the father suddenly came out and called after them. – I was afraid he would shoot my tires, but I thought my car was fast enough to drive away from him in the winding roads in the forest. – But it turned out that he only wanted us to buy a steak for dinner for him, at “Oath Keeper’s” expense. Reunion with the father on TV The family got away from Stewart Rhodes that day. They got divorce papers sorted out and a restraining order imposed. To avoid the police raiding his house, Stewart Rhodes was forced to stay away from his family. The escape plan of Adams and the rest of the family was successful. They got away. – I am proud that we managed to get away from Stewart, says Adams. But just over three years later, they were to see him again. This time on TV. On January 6, 2021, Trump gives a speech in Washington. He has just lost the election. There are days before Joe Biden is inaugurated as the new president. In the days before, Trump makes a series of accusations of electoral fraud, and that it was actually him who won the election. – I know that everyone here will soon be marching towards Congress to say what you means in a peaceful and patriotic way, he says during the speech. While the speech is in progress, members of far-right groups such as “Oath Keepers” and “Proud Boys” are seen marching towards Congress in Washington. The crowds shout “fight for Trump”. The crowds get bigger “We are taking back our country,” said one of the rebels to one of the BBC’s correspondents. The police are becoming outnumbered. The masses force their way towards the entrance using violence. At the same time, Trump ends his speech. – If you don’t fight, you won’t have a country anymore. So let’s go down on the Congress, he says. The crowds get into the building. For several hours, the rebels occupy the Congress. The damage to the Congress has been estimated at a value of almost 30 million Norwegian kroner, and over 950 were arrested, according to the United States attorney. There are different reports on how many died during and as a result of the attack. Over 100 police officers were injured of varying degrees of severity. Afraid of pardon – When I saw it on TV, I knew straight away that Stewart was involved, says Adams. Rhodes was convicted of conspiracy, for inciting the rebels. He received a sentence of 18 years. The strictest of all who took part in storming Congress. While the leader of “Oath Keepers”, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Photo: AP – I have to say, Mr. Rhodes – and I have never said this to anyone I have judged before – you are a threat and a danger to our democracy, Judge Amit Mehta said. Although his father has received a long sentence, Adams is worried about what might happen if Trump wins the election. The former president has said several times that he will pardon those who stormed Congress on January 6, 2021. Thinks a pardon is possible Most recently at a conference this summer, Trump was asked whether he will pardon those who were convicted after the storming of Congress. – Yes, absolutely. If they are innocent, he said. – But they are convicted? Says the journalist. – They were sentenced in a very strict system, he replies. Donald Trump has on several occasions hinted that he may pardon the rebels convicted of the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021. This photo was taken right after the assassination attempt against him in Florida on September 15 this year. Photo: AP Jan Arild Snoen is a writer and author of several books about the United States and Donald Trump. – Is there a real possibility that the main characters behind the storming of Congress can be pardoned? – Yes, it is. Then the question becomes whether he pardons everyone or avoids those who were the worst. Jan Arild Snoen has written several books about Donald Trump and the United States. He believes Trump can pardon the rebels from storming Congress. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / n647093 But what does the former president get out of it? Snoen says it could be a “reward” to his most loyal followers and a sign that it pays to support him. At the same time, he believes it will be a signal that violence to overthrow democracy is okay, which will have a negative impact on his more moderate followers. – Do you think something similar could happen again if Trump does not win the election? – Yes, if he loses the election, he will claim that he won it anyway. Then I think there could be unrest in the streets, but I don’t believe in any civil war, says Snoen – I won’t let him control my life At the rest area in Montana, together with Thomas Seltzer, Adams says that he himself has entered politics. He is running for the Democrats in Montana. Adams does not know if the father knows that his son is running for a party that stands for the opposite of what he raised his son to believe. – Is it some kind of revenge? Ask Seltzer. – Many have asked me about it, but I don’t want to see it that way. It would be the same as letting him still control my life, says Dakota Adams. Dakota Adams is running today for the Democrats in Montana. Here he is with Thomas Seltzer in connection with the recording of the third season of UXA. Photo: Halvor Haugen / news Forest fires, tornadoes and areas disappearing into the sea – parts of the USA will soon be uninhabitable. But can the solution to the climate crisis also be found here?
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Dakota Adams escaped from her father’s conspiracy theories – Culture
