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Gilgamech's avatar

The crux is whether a legally effective “use of force” construct is even possible. I suspect that at minimum this would require state level creation of an actual police force. Even then, buckle down for decades of lawfare from the ACLU, SPLC, ADL and other such enemies within.

Absent a solid legal framework, it’s just a nice idea.

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The American Tribune's avatar

This is true, there are probably other ways to do it that are more realistic

Perhaps the company could pay for and house a large police force technically working for the municipality?

The other thing is that the security aspect would be less problematic from every angle in the nearly abandoned small towns that dot the heartland, as opposed to Detroit/St. Louis/Baltimore, etc.

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Gilgamech's avatar

True. Anyway it’s worth thinking about legal frameworks. Maybe a sheriff and deputies would be a better legal structure. Another consideration: with a friendly Federal government is it worth also deputising as all kinds of federal agent (eg ICE, DEA)? Or does that come with too much baggage.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Very good points

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Oregonian's avatar

Please consider helping Western counties secede from their States and re-form the Oregon Territory- Federal protectorate, local control, constitutional law, County Sheriffs- and ZERO state regulations or taxes…

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The American Tribune's avatar

Yes this would be huge

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Strangename's avatar

Quick legal defense: if Target can hire a potbellied-pig to guard it, why can't my suburb?

Sure, it would require a deal with the city to buy out an entire geographic area, so that stepping into the boundary is entering private property. For double the fun, make sure to hire lots of ("ex-")gangsters on the squad, who utilize diverse ways of knowing in methods of enforcement, and accuse the ACLU of lawfare against diverse and inclusive policing.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Hahaha

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Dale's avatar

The government is historically violent against people who try to move in on their market, they would rather rule over a kingdom of ashes. Great idea though, I've thought a bit about how a person could invest in some of these abandoned districts in America and start a regrowth. Your idea handles the whole strength in numbers part of the calculation, ideally creating a zone that would attract like minded people and grow outwards...

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The American Tribune's avatar

Yeah there are, of course, reasons why the current regime would almost certainly not let this happen

My thought is that there is a budding municipal debt crisis, and they might be more willing to strike a deal when they really need the money and residents

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Dale's avatar

The current or any regime...

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The American Tribune's avatar

That’s not really true. The British South Africa Company was allowed to do essentially this in the 1890s-1920s, the East India Company ran a subcontinent for centuries, the Virginia Company did this with Jamestown. The Isle of Man still has different rules. Some regimes allow it

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Dale's avatar

I guess I meant existing regimes. Specifically the U.S.

Our government only allows privatized districts to be created in other countries.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Oh, yes, amongst existing regimes this is true

Prospera and Orania would be the two counter-examples, albeit quite small ones, and Orania wouldn’t exist had they not gotten a constitutional carveout decades ago

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Dale's avatar

I hadn’t heard of either of those, thanks.

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Pete McCutchen's avatar

Congrats. Happy wedding day and may you have a wonderful marriage.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Thank you very much, Pete, I appreciate that!

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Tom Swift's avatar

Colonizing the Upper Peninsula is a far better bet. There are already advanced technical instututes(Michigan Tech) and the crime rate is much lower. Furthermore, the scenery is incredible!

https://swiftenterprises.substack.com/p/the-new-cantons

https://swiftenterprises.substack.com/p/the-sunburned-exiles

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The American Tribune's avatar

Very interesting, thanks!

I just chose Detroit as an example of an abandoned city with relatively intact, abandoned neighborhoods. There are certainly better spots

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Red-State Secession's avatar

The only towns that have security problems are the ones that are anti-police and pro-criminal. This means that any use of force agreement would be rejected by voters and their representatives.

Your idea can only work if the city agrees to cede the neighborhood completely (to create a new municipality like St. George, Louisiana), and the state allows you to govern it as a dictatorship until your members are more numerous than the indigenous voters. So a red state. Actually the dictatorship is not necessary if a red area of a blue city secedes. But you still need a conservative state legislature, so they don't interfere.

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The American Tribune's avatar

This is all true. I just chose Detroit for the thought experiment because of its abandoned neighborhoods, not because it’s the best place to do this

A neighborhood in Cleveland, perhaps, would be better, or maybe even St. Louis. An abandoned company town in the Heartland would be good as well

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Bruce L. Nelson's avatar

Overcoming an "all-knowing" government will be the biggest hurdle.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Yeah I agree

The proper deals are critical, and would be difficult to strike

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Jeremy Stewardson's avatar

Great idea to use the REIT structure , make all concerned unit holders , then take lessons from Orania in screening residents and security arrangements . Government should encourage this with a tax friendly regime and initial subsidy of common facilities and utilities .

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The American Tribune's avatar

Absolutely

I chose the REIT structure as the idea 1) because it sounds funny, and 2) I think the income-focused aspect of REITs is closer to what the colonial corporations of yesteryear were focused on

And yeah Orania holds a lot of good lessons

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Wallfacer's avatar

A big chunk of this is simple. Modern corps basically exist to increase the price of the shares. They do this because of the ease of trading. Historically trading shares of a company was not anywhere close to as easy as it is now. Especially prior to any form of wired comms.

REITs got a carve out due to the real estate nature of the business and nowadays are more owned by retirees than by younger people. But yeah… corporations originally were about creating passive income.

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The American Tribune's avatar

All good points. I did a podcast on how our view of wealth has changed, if you are interested: https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/what-is-wealth-and-does-its-form

I tend toward subscribing to the old-style passive income view

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Wallfacer's avatar

I will certainly check that out. I can say this: corporations in their modern form are mostly bullshit. The original reason to do a joint stock company was to get capital together for a venture. It was basically a crowdfunding endeavor. No one took a thing public unless they had to (why split the company?)

Nowadays the IPO becomes your “cash out”…. But if the business is so lucrative, why would would you sale?

Add to this private equity basically buying up companies, saddling them with debt they never accrued and then using the IPO to cash out for themselves and the whole thing is mostly a scam.

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The American Tribune's avatar

You are very right. My thought here is that 1) PE would be far worse in this situation, 2) the degree of capital necessary makes a C-Corp or REIT of some sort a must, and 3) a REIT is somewhat closer to what a company used to be, given the focus on paying out income

That said, there are still problems, of course

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the long warred's avatar

Lol. You don’t ROE do you?

Let’s regroup after USA regime change, no one with experience will touch this… not that I’m against the idea.

But getting rid of civil rights is like changing gods, this is on the order of converting the Muslim world to Judaism.

“Use of Force Laws. “

Nothing. Happened.

Nobody saw nothing.

Ever. Never.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Ha, yes, this is all true

I’m not saying this is currently something that will happen, but I do think it’s fun to think it out and how it might work, could the proper deals be struck, with the understanding that right now there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of striking those in the US

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the long warred's avatar

A less obtrusive and dramatic and more feasible and possible solution would be to quietly make the Detroit side of the Ambassador Bridge an “Enterprise Zone “ then quietly er ah er “gentrify” it with warehouses and shipping companies. Under no circumstances voters, politicians, police. Private sector, Amazon Detroit. That bridge moves $500M a day, the bridge is important, the Urban renewal isn’t. Nor is it possible absent 4th Reich measures.

The cities have lost their economic and indeed any case at all except Blue Client Dependas for Blue Political machines.

Let them go.

The countryside is much nicer.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Yes, there are undoubtedly better spots

I just chose Detroit because 1) it’s had some success with the Greek Town concept, and 2) the abandoned neighborhoods make plotting out the idea of a palisaded town in an abandoned area somewhat easier to conceptualize

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the long warred's avatar

Having Baron Vladimir Halliburton in charge of Detroit is a fetching idea, however grounded in commerce and for that matter a border is probably a more solid foundation for the restoration project. Ambassador bridge Enterprise Zone bought to you by Amazon ™️ is a solid foundation.

House Halliburton may follow as needed. There must be a business case, and move to Novo Osiligath now 93% Orc Free … er… no.

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The American Tribune's avatar

Yeah as to commerce, etc. I was thinking about this in the terms of a 19th century railroad town

You have to bring people there to raise the value of what you own, and to get them there you need a cause for them to be there, probably a mix of it being relatively inexpensive and economic opportunities being heightened

Pairing the low rent/buy with finding a way to get relatively high-paying online jobs seems like one way to do that while drawing capital into the area, particularly when paired with infrastructure of the sort you mentioned. The Cavendish development of the Eastbourne water company is an example of that working reasonably well

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the long warred's avatar

Er ah the 19th century isn’t available presently… for example potting joggers is absolutely out.

Sir you are making a case for resettling areas whose economic basis has vanished, that being the only reason they came into existence in the first place.

Fort Dunesque aka Detroit was a trading post.

Re-establish on solid foundation of money and commerce, civilization followed commerce.

You are animated by the spirit of the missionary, forgive me the only possible actor at present is the mercenary. The police for example are not allowed to police, the mercenary has carte blanche if the money is flowing. Because it’s business. Even college graduates understand once they need a job.

Perhaps there’s something we overlooked? Is there Oil in Detroit? Or perhaps REE deposits? That’s always hopeful for the march of civilization.

A gentleman from the Oil Industry explains.

https://youtu.be/auQfXObDddI?si=wBOoLXERbg703cQa

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the long warred's avatar

Yes, it can work in other countries, south of the equator.

A more feasible option would be invade Canada, make peace, being the generous people we are adjust the border south, allow “Winsdor” Canada already a er ah Holding Company for the Big 3 to put Xe in Red Uniforms and go do their thing. Canada is already run by Oligarchy, it’s time to Diversity-Fy ?

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Ivan Throne's avatar

"What if there were..."

The Company is right here. Take a look at Project Silver Talent:

https://www.thronedynamics.com/silver-talent

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The American Tribune's avatar

Have not heard of this! Thanks!

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Commander Nelson's avatar

Aarchotyranny is on behalf of a regime with global power. You can't defeat it in just one city.

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The American Tribune's avatar

No, you cannot

But you can, theoretically, ameliorate most of its ill effects, assuming you have the proper deals in place so that you can do what is needed

Orania is a good example of this, though it’d be near-impossible to recreate in America

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Alex Petkas's avatar

Great idea. And congrats Will!

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The American Tribune's avatar

Thank you, Alex! I’ll have to download some episodes of your show for the interminable time we’ll be spending in airports

This is, of course, a bit of a fun post, but it would be quite cool to see something like this actually happen. How did the Greeks colonize the Med, after all…

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MartinW's avatar

Read Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, add security, Voila

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The American Tribune's avatar

Ha, I loved Atlas Shrugged growing up. I should reread it

Hated her views of religion and infidelity, but otherwise it’s excellent

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Live Life Not Behind Glass's avatar

When you reread it consider the pov that she was a marxist but just one that thought an oligarchic collection of corps should own and control everything

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The American Tribune's avatar

It’s not good because of her solutions, which are largely nonsense, but because she articulates who the enemies of greatness are so well. Cuffy Meiggs, Claude Slogenhop, James Taggart, etc. are great to read about because they serve as reminders about who is destroying our civilization

She’s also not really a Marxist, as she’s not an egalitarian in the slightest

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wmj's avatar

“What if the US government allows us to carve out a quasi-sovereign enclave exempt from Civil Rights Law?”

yes! That’s a great idea, you should pitch that and let us know what they say

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RicketyFence's avatar

This entire thing rests on having an amenable city/county government and that can disappear after one headline grabbing event.

Also, Orania exists because of provisions in the laws there regarding homelands. We don’t have that.

I think it’s a great idea though. High speed fiber exists or is very close in many of these places.

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SamizBOT's avatar

I feel like if a private coalition became powerful enough to implement this program, they'd probably be powerful enough to simply take control of the governments in question and could just use the state to achieve these goals. It's similar to the idea of white people becoming another protected class: if they truly banded together along racial lines they could just take the federal government. They wouldn't have to ask for special treatment or set asides etc

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The American Tribune's avatar

That’s not really true, though. Policing a neighborhood and running some municipal infrastructure is a far cry from what it would take to take over an entire state

But yes, the political capital needed would be tremendous, particularly in the absence of something like a municipal debt crisis that would make this marginally more possible to effect

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