Controversy
The Ruckus Society was founded by Earth First! founder Mike Roselle. Sellers was hired by Roselle.
The Ruckus Society has been described by many reliable sources as an anarchist organization that played a major role in inciting property damage and vandalism during the Seattle WTO protests in 1999.
According to a 2005 article by Randy Borum and Chuck Tilby, in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism: "Some organizations such as Ruckus Society and Anarchist Black Cross Federation specialize in providing training in activism and varying forms of civil disobedience. There are many resources freely available to teach interested anarchists how to conduct surveillance, prepare for protests, climb and descend, build shields, and craft weapons. The legality of the proposed actions is secondary to their perceived effectiveness. Some manuals and instructional resources limit themselves to nonviolent tactics; others do not." In a 2000 interview with the magazine Mother Jones, John Sellers said: "I make a distinction between violence and destruction of property. Violence to me is against living things. But inanimate objects? I think you can be destructive, you can use vandalism strategically. It may be violence under the law, but I just don't think it's violence."
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