An anarchist’s group is ruling Asheville with an iron fist and creating “a reign of terror” with acts of violence against anyone  standing against it — and does so with little or no fear of legal consequences from a soft-on-crime local legal system that quivers in fear of it, according to Asheville native Rondell Lance, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police.

Lance made the aforementioned statement during an Aug. 24 telephone interview with the Daily Planet.

Lance’s analysis and critique in the interview focused on the Aug. 14 burning of two Asheville Police Department vehicles, the vandalism to a car owned by City Councilwoman Maggie Ullman (shortly after she cast a vote in favor of public safety and law enforcement) — and the votes that were cast against the same letter by councilwomen Kim Roney and Antanette Mosley.

So have any APD vehicles, in Lance’s memory, ever been incinerated by vandals? the Daily Planet asked.

The FOP leader replied that, in his 26-1/2 years in police work, followed in retirement by “at least” 25 years as the local FOP president, that “only once, years ago, we (the APD)  left a police car in Woodfin — probably in the late ‘90s — and they (vandals) burned up the car. It had been left there as a decoy.”

Lance added that Firestorm Books, which recently opened its new location near the West Asheville police substation, had advertised “an anarchist gathering (book fair), with classes,” with “that type of idea (lawlessness)” for the weekend of the APD vehicle burnings.

“What you’d have to say was it was coincidental that it (the anarchist book fair and the incineration of the two APD vehicles) happened that weekend,” Lance noted.

(The FOP lodge at which Lance is president represents more than 250 area law enforcement personnel.) 

The bookstore recently relocated to 1022 Haywood Road in West Asheville, which is two blocks from the West Asheville police substation.

Also in reference to the APD car burnings, he said that “no ‘critical incident’ had taken place involving the police department. .. It probably had to be someone from that group (the anarchists), or someone affiliated with it — or someone with that same mindset.”

Further, Lance asserted, “I think that is same mindset that did that (the tire slashing and window smashing) to Councilwoman (Maggie) Ullman’s vehicle.

“We’ve got a group in Asheville that, if you speak out against their agenda, they come after you. We’ve seen it in the past. I think most of the people in that group would laugh about it (the two police vehicles burning), or think it was a good thing.

“I would hope the SBI, FBI, APD — or whoever — finds the people responsible for these actions...

“They (the anarchists) come after you, if you come after them. I’ve been threatened on the phone, with people saying, ‘I hope you die!’

“It’s said (around Asheville), if you take a stand (against the anarchists), they’re coming after you. They don’t care — they’ll burn your car, damage your car, make threatening remarks, and if they can get away with it, they’ll make false charges against you. They’ll do anything to try to make you shut up. They’re just mean, nasty people. There’s no civility to them.

“A lot of the ‘elected people’ are afraid of them — the DA (district attorney), judges magistrates and council members. They’re afraid to stand up against them, because they’ll come after them.”

Lance added, “Someone came to our (FOP) lodge (in West Asheville) and spray-painted Black Lives Matter” outside the lodge. It was a white guy who did it. He took our flag down and ran it back up, upside down, which is an anarchist move.” 

(“According to the U.S. Flag Code, flying the American flag upside down is only meant to be done ‘as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.’” the website yahoo.com noted.)

Continuing, Lance asserted, “A lot of the time, they are just white anarchists who use that (BLM’s name) to justify what they did. They are using that (BLM’s name) as a way to justify their action. I’ve talked to BLM members who said that that is not their agenda. But they (the anarchists) don’t care.

What’s more, he said, “They (the anarchists) won’t sit down with you and try to have a conversation.

In his years of interacting with Asheville’s anarchists’ community, Lance said its members “wore bandanas over their faces — even before the pandemic” in a practice that he called cowardly.

As far as the vandalism to the APD vehicles and to Ullman’s car, Lance told the Daily Planet, “I don’t know what they know” on police vehicles and Ullman car, as he is not privy — even as the local FOP president — to inside APD information on the ongoing investigations. Lance added that he purposely has not inquired deeply into it.  

Regarding the anarchists, “That’s who they are. They feel empowered. They feel strong. If you speak (in public) against their agenda, they’ll come after you....

“I would think they (the police investigators) pretty well know where this group hangs out, knows some of their members, knows their agenda — which they put out” openly, with no apparent fear of consequences.

“So you’d think the FBI, SBI or somebody is putting together a case against this group. You’d think something would be done to halt this reign of terror that has taken place in the City of Asheville in at least the last five years.” 

After a pause, the local FOP president added, “Something needs to be done! They (the anarchists) know there’s no accountability within the City of Asheville. They know they have free reign to do pretty much what they want.

“They know their haven is within the city limits — and that the DA (Todd Williams) won’t prosecute them... and that the APD is understaffed.

“The only opposition group is the regular citizens who stand up — but they would come after them,” if local residents voiced criticisms of the anarchists.

For instance, he noted, “The Asheville Coalition for Public Safety is a strong group, but they express their viewpoint (on city issues) to the media — not taking on the anarchists’ group. The (anarchists) group is a criminal organization that injures people and damages property — and gets away with it.”

Rhetorically, Lance asked, “Has anyone (from the anarchists’ group) ever been convicted” in the Asheville area?

In answering his own question, he said, “I know a lot who had their cases dismissed. You had an officer” seriously injured — and the case was dropped.”

In speaking of the anarchists, he said, “They are anti-government, anti-law enforcement ….”

Further, he noted, “I don’t know where the anarchists hang out, but Firestorm (Books) was the ones hosting the anarchists that weekend that the police vehicles went up in flames... It seems like, a lot of times, everything leads back to that location, but I haven’t investigated, so I can’t say that they promoted it, or were a part of it.

“But that name (Firestorm Books) pops up a lot when we (law enforcement officials) have these issues. But I have no proof — just hear-say.

“I’m sure they (investigators) are working very hard at identifying people from that group. I would think they had installed cameras over that area. Still, even if they had any evidence, it would be presented to the DA,” who, in Lance’s estimation, would be hesitant to prosecute. 

In reference to the APD vehicle burnings and the vandalism to Ullman’s car, the FOP president said, “There are a lot of people (around Asheville) who know who did it. But they have a small circle,” with the members knowing they would face severe consequences for betraying their fellow anarchists.

As for the APD vehicle fires, Lance said, “It’s an arson, so they (the investigators) look at what was used to ignite it” and other such details.

What’s more, he assertes, “I talked to the state FOP president on Monday (Aug. 21) — and I asked if he knew of any other (police) department in the state that had its vehicles set on fire. He said he thought Raleigh had had an incident, but other than that, he couldn’t recall any other incident across the state in recent years.

“I don’t think anyone across the state is surprised that that (the police vehicle burnings) happened in Asheville,” given the city’s bad reputation — as a place where lawlessness is condoned — among law enforcement officials statewide.

He added, “I think it’s all connected. I think it’s the same people who burned the police vehicles and slashed and smashed Maggie’s car — and if you dare say something against them, they’re coming after you.

“It’s the same mindset, same group, they’re all together, maybe not the exact same people.”

As for Ullman and her fellow council members, Lance said, “I hope that they stand strong on their convictions. You’re here for the betterment of the community. You can’t be bullied.

“These groups that are here... if you confront them, they back down. But in the dark of night, that’s when they operate.

“That weekend (of the APD vehicle burnings), some of the people were afraid to come into their churches” near the site of the incineration in West Asheville.

“They (the anarchists) won’t get into your face... They’re sneaky and act under the cover of night, with their faces covered,” Lance said. “They are like a criminal syndicate. They sneak and hide — as if they are ashamed of what they believe. You have a group who likes to terrorize the city and the people of the city who speak out against them. They are plotting and planning - continually. And they strategically pop up when they feel its convenient...

“They are very organized. They’re getting money. They have attorneys. They have professional camera people” to film their enemies — and use it against them. And they work in a very deceitful, lying way to get their agenda across.

“Probably the money (to support the anarchists activities) is coming in from out of Buncombe County… Who knows? They (the investigators) should follow the money,” Lance said.

Regarding the FBI and SBI, he noted, “If they have a list of the members of this group, they should interview them and keep a close eye on them. You would think after all this time, that someone would be charged... They network. They organize their network.”

As an example of what he has seen in the anarchists’ organization handbook, Lance said there is a section that advises how, “if you see the police trying arrest someone, to jump in and jump on them (the police officers) — by any means necessary.”

He added, “Law enforcement has known about this group for a good while. As far as I know, nothing has been done, except about an individual here or there. They’ve come after me for a while — and they’ve done that to anyone who has publicly criticized them.  

“I would hope that one of our law enforcement agencies has the information and that the case that they’re working on against this group” goes forward.

In returning to the topic of the vandalism of Ullman’s car, Lance asked, rhetorically, “This happened to a liberal? Well, they (the anarchists) don’t care who you are — whether you are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican — if you go against their agenda,” then one is deemed the enemy of anarchists who must be punished severely.

In speaking of Ullman’s progressive political leanings, Lance said, “She was part of that group that was down there (in the Five Points neighborhood on June 3) protesting against that preacher’s church,” which allegedly was anti-LGBTQ+. (The protest involved the Greater Works Church at 25 Forsythe St. in North Asheville.)

As for Roney, Lance said, “She is a representative of the group that we’re talking about. She’s part of that. She’s their leader. If she voted for it (public safety), they’d come after her for it. She ‘toes the line’ for that far-left group. If she dared disagree with it, they’d come after her,” too.

“Roney is the spokesperson for that group… They look to her to promote their agenda — Defund the Police, anti-government and anti-law-and-order. “She is super-nice (on a personal level), but if you look at their agenda,” Lance said, it is anything but nice. 

“They know they have to play that role.Their agenda it hurting our country.

“Kim Roney has a base of voters and a base of supporters. She had to have a runoff with the mayor. That shows how strong she is — that the mayor had to beat her in a runoff. She has a core base that will be there for her. She has to play to her base, so Kim Roney is going to be around for a long time.”

After another pause, Lance asserted, “As long as we have enough people who don’t think and lean that way (toward anarchism), we’ll be OK. But God forbid if we get any more people like Kim Roney on City Council.”

So what does all of this say about the City of Asheville? the Daily Planet asked.

“You still have very conservative people on the outer parts of Buncombe County, but when we vote, they’re outnumbered,” Lance replied. “In my opinion, the City of Asheville is very liberal and far-left-leaning — and if we’re not very careful, we’ll become another Seattle, where homelessness, crime and no accountability for those who break the law” will rule the city. 

So is he optimistic about Asheviille’s future? the Daily Planet asked.

“In the last two or three years, I think Buncombe County’s “gone,” Lance answered, with a note of sadness. “There will never be another conservative voice elected in Buncombe County — in the next five years. I think it’s approaching a very far-left environment. 

Regarding his use of the word “gone,” Lane explaiined that he means that there will be “no conservative independent voice (elected) —  just a far-left voice. I don’t see that changing — unless district maps get changed.”

So does Lance think Asheville is “gone” also? the Daily Planet asked.

“Asheville has been ‘gone’ since about 2020,” Lance replied, again sadly. 

He then asked, rhetorically, “Now, who could change it?”

In answering his own question, Lance said that the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and Asheville City Council could prompt the change, “but part of their support is from that far-left group,” so he is skeptical that that could happen. 

“The only thing that could change it is when they do the redistricting. Because everyone who ran (in the last election) had part of the city in their district. They (the far left) did that intentionally, knowing that that would knock out any conservatives. So the only way we (conservatives) could get anyone not from the Democratic far-left group... would be with redistricting. 

“It’s a shame, it’s such a beautiful city and a beautiful county... You look at Kim Roney — she’s got a powerful group. She just about beat the mayor” in the last election. “And that (Roney) is who is controlling the city. It’s a very progressive, far-left city — and it’s getting farther and farther left....” Lance said, as the interview concluded.