Three Percenters militia movement
Decentralised American militia network founded 2008 by Mike Vanderboegh. Multiple chapters and members convicted in January 6 2021 prosecutions. Some state chapters formally classified as hate groups.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — decentralised militia network; multiple chapters convicted in January 6 prosecutions.
Profile facts
In context
Three Percenters take their name from the discredited statistic that 3% of colonists fought the British. The decentralised structure means substantial chapter-by-chapter variation. Multiple Three Percenters chapters and members were convicted of January 6 2021 Capitol charges. Some state chapters classified as hate groups by SPLC.
Key control doctrines
- Anti-government readiness rhetoric
- Pseudo-historical 3% framing
- Paramilitary preparedness
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Multiple January 6 convictions
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 2008Founded by Mike Vanderboegh
- 2021-01-06Multiple Three Percenters at US Capitol
Sources
- DOJ January 6 case filings search ↗
- SPLC profiles search ↗
- Various ProPublica investigations search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Political cadre.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: investigative journalism. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
- Start herePick the reading path that matches your situation.
- PatternsDocumented control patterns with linked profiles.
- Online groupsPolitical and ideological coercion often operates via online communities.
- FamiliesHow families and close friends can engage with high-control members.
- RecoveryIf you have left or are preparing to leave.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.