History Main / VigilanteMilitia

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly (there may be borderline cases if a group of {{Dirty Cop}}s form one, but these are the exception rather than the rule). If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, and usually disbands right afterwards, that's TorchesAndPitchforks. ''Generally'' not a RightWingMilitiaFanatic, although overlap is possible; in recent history (especially during UsefulNotes/TheColdWar) militias have often been hired by right-wing governments to augment the latter's use of violence against all opposition, Communist or otherwise.

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly (there may be borderline cases if a group of {{Dirty Cop}}s form one, but these are the exception rather than the rule). If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, and usually disbands right afterwards, that's TorchesAndPitchforks. ''Generally'' not a RightWingMilitiaFanatic, although overlap is possible.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': Spoofed and satirized in the episode "Thank You for Not Snitching", when Betty von Heusen, a local elderly woman and [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic paranoid gun nut]], proposes to the neighborhood watch (which she's the de facto leader of) that they should militarize and take up arms in response to a spree of house burglaries (committed by [[StupidCrooks Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy]]). Tom Dubois is [[OnlySaneMan the only member of the neighborhood watch opposed to this crazy plan]].

* The Shadow from the original pulps had an army of agents who assisted him in his war on crime. This may be the TropeCodifier.

** In ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'', several member of the defeated Mutants gang become true believers and declare themselves the "Sons of the Batman." Unfortunately, they clean up the streets with the same viciousness that marked their prior affiliation, and Batman has to take them under his wing ... if only to train them in a way that protects Gotham City from their idea of "crimefighting."

See also VigilanteMan, the individual version of this trope. Compare LaResistance (which forms against foreign invasions, not general lawlessness) and TheMagnificentSevenSamurai (a group of heroes defends a small community from either bandits or the a tyrannical overlord).

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly (there may be borderline cases if a group of {{Dirty Cop}}s form one, but these are the exception rather than the rule). If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, and usually disbands right afterwards, that's TorchesAndPitchforks.

See also VigilanteMan, the individual version of this trope. Compare LaResistance and TheMagnificentSevenSamurai.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman's activities have unfortunately inspired several copycat vigilantes to take on the criminal underworld of Gotham. At least some of these are working together, as seen when two or three of them try to take down Scarecrow's operation. Bruce is not happy about this, as these average citizens don't have the same resources he does and are more likely to get themselves killed. [[spoiler:Indeed, the Joker starts targeting them in his hunt for the Batman and brutally murders one on videotape.]]

Subtrope of VigilanteMan, this group is dedicated to hunting down and striking fear into the hearts of criminals. Often they may be either people who have been wronged by criminals in some way, or simply people looking to make their hometown safe for everyone. Sometimes, they may have someone or multiple people in their ranks who are former law enforcement officers. This will be especially true if they were [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] who either resigned or were kicked off the force because of their disdain for procedure.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The episode "Homer the Vigilante" has Homer forming a vigilante militia (well, being more specific, Ned was the one who formed it but Homer took over as leader when Ned admitted that he didn't feel comfortable leading anybody) to find a GentlemanThief who has been going on an unstoppable spree all over town. Then they go on [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything to do everything]] ''[[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything but]]'' [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything enforce the law]], bullying random people (at one point, it's noted that while minor vandalism is down 80%, beatings with doorknob-filled sacks (the vigilante group's MO) are up 900%) and at one point where the burglar announces that he will steal from the Springfield Museum and [[WorthyOpponent teases Homer to try to stop him]], Homer ends up having a kegger with some teens in the middle of his guarding and lets the burglar steal what he wanted. It becomes crazier/worse when Homer reads the list of objectives he's set for the militia to Lisa and he mentions that one of them is ''[[TakeOverTheWorld world domination]]''.

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* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': One story has a trio of men inspired by the Punisher's return to join forces. Unfortunately, their methods are too different (one is a rich WASP (Elite), who shoots drug dealers and poor people hanging around his condo, another is a priest (the Holy) who axe-murders people who confess their deadly sins to him with every intention of going back for more, and the third (Mr. Payback) shoots up a board of {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s (accidentally and unknowingly killing a cleaning lady in the process). They're all killed by the Punisher when he finds out, while Elite's son eventually finds his father's diary and tries to avenge him.

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A super-trope of VigilanteMan, this group is dedicated to hunting down and striking fear into the hearts of criminals. Often they may be either people who have been wronged by criminals in some way, or simply people looking to make their hometown safe for everyone. Sometimes, they may have someone or multiple people in their ranks who are former law enforcement officers. This will be especially true if they were [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] who either resigned or were kicked off the force because of their disdain for procedure.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The episode "Homer the Vigilante" has Homer forming a vigilante militia (well, being more specific, Ned was the one who formed it but Homer took over as leader when Ned admitted that he didn't felt comfortable leading anybody) to find a GentlemanThief who has been going on an unstoppable spree all over town. Then they go on [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything to do everything]] ''[[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything but]]'' [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything enforce the law]], bullying random people (at one point, it's noted that while minor vandalism is down 80%, beatings with doorknob-filled sacks (the vigilante group's MO) are up 900%) and at one point where the burglar announces that he will steal from the Springfield Museum and [[WorthyOpponent teases Homer to try to stop him]], Homer ends up having a kegger with some teens in the middle of his guarding and lets the burglar steal what he wanted. It becomes crazier/worse when Homer reads the list of objectives he's set for the militia to Lisa and he mentions that one of them is ''[[TakeOverTheWorld world domination]]''.

* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'': Los Pepes are an anti-communist militia who later take the fight to Pablo Escobar's cartel, enacting vigilante street justice against anyone involved with his drug empire.

* ''Film/MagnumForce'' has gruff but honest detective Callahan investigate a series of murders wherein the victims are repeat felons. Callahan deduces correctly that a band of zealous rookie officers have decided to fight crime by acting as judge / jury / executioner as well as arresting officer. Made worse by [[spoiler:the chief of the detective division]] knowingly covering for them.
* ''Film/InvasionUSA1985'' has an army of terrorists led by a KGB agent infiltrate American society and then unleash a wave of blood and destruction. Since the terrorists have shown an ability to successfully [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise themselves as police and soldiers]], the public is understandably frightened that the officer or soldier guarding the corner might be an enemy undercover. As such, many citizens form armed militias to help guard their communities. A group of them can be seen protecting a convoy of school buses as children are loaded onto them by their parents, who are sending them to the rural areas for safety (similar to what the British did with children from London in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII). Of course, these militias may not have to worry about too much with Chuck Norris hunting the bad guys!

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly (there may be borderline cases if a group of {{Dirty Cop}}s form one, but these are the exception rather than the rule). If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, that's TorchesAndPitchforks.

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly (there may be borderline cases if a group of {{Dirty Cop}}S form one, but these are the exception rather than the rule). If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, that's TorchesAndPitchforks.

If a group of ordinary citizens are organized into a crime-fighting group by an official and deputized law enforcement officer, then they are a {{Posse}}, instead of one of these as they operate inside the law and will have been deputized accordingly. If it's just a mob whipped up into a frenzy against someone, whether they're guilty or not, that's TorchesAndPitchforks.

Adopted by Morgenthaler
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