“Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things”
Marvin Heemeyer (1951-2004) had a dispute with the town of Granby, Colorado, and he didn’t see any way that it was being resolved. He bought a bulldozer (dubbed the “Killdozer”) and destroyed town buildings on June 4, 2004. He shot himself when the bulldozer got stuck.
Heemeyer had written in his notes:
“I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable. Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.”
The Killdozer is often shown on a graphic image similar to the Gadsden flag. However, instead of “Don’t tread on me,” the image reads, “Tread on those who tread on you.” “Tread on those who tread on you” was posted on Twitter by JalapeñoPapi on January 21, 2019. “Tread On Those Who Tread On You” was posted on Twitter by “♦Acid Man (Author: Cooking With Hitler)” on June 4, 2019. “Tread on those who tread on you” (shown on an image) was posted on Twitter by Ahmad A. on September 12, 2019.
Wikipedia: Marvin Heemayer
Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 – June 4, 2004) was an American automobile muffler repair shop owner who demolished numerous buildings with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado, on June 4, 2004.
Heemeyer had feuded with Granby town officials, particularly over fines for violating city health ordinances after he purchased property with no sewage system. Over about eighteen months, Heemeyer had secretly armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete. On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer used the bulldozer to demolish the Granby town hall, the house of a former mayor, and several other buildings. He killed himself after the bulldozer got stuck in the basement of a hardware store he was destroying.
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Motivation
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Investigators later found Heemeyer’s handwritten list of targets. According to the police, it included the buildings he destroyed, the local Catholic church (which he did not damage), and the names of various people who had sided against him in past disputes. Notes found by investigators after the incident indicated that the primary motivation for the bulldozer rampage was his plan to stop the concrete plant from being built near his shop. These notes indicated that he held grudges over the zoning approval. “I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable”, he wrote. “Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.”
Wikipedia: Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: “DONT TREAD ON ME”. Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe.
Google Groups: alt.satellite.expressvu
3100 bev to dish. How many times?
Kendogger
Jun 9, 2004, 10:22:30 PM
“Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.”
Your little town of Ottawa is safe for now….
Newspapers.com
10 June 2004, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), “Rampager was surprised his plans went unnoticed ” (Associated Press), pg. A5, cols. 4-5:
GRANBY, Colo.—A man who spent months armoring a bulldozer before he went on a rampage through a small mountain town and then killed himself was surprised no one discovered his plans beforehand, according to note found by investigators.
(..)
The notes suggested Heemeyer nursed grudges over the zoning issue. “I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable,” Heemeyer scribbled. “Sometimes reasonable men must be unreasonable things.”
Reddit—Quotes
Posted by u/reddittrees2 May 21, 2016
“I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable. Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.” - Marvin Heemeyer
COMMENTS
BACK_BURNER
Really? The Killdozer guy?
reddittrees2
I never said he was the hero some people make him out to be.
The gun ports in his machine are the tipping point between a wronged man at the end of his rope wanting some good old fashioned revenge destruction and the weapons were there to scare off cops or shoot at objects and not people.
The other end is that he planned a last stand to take out as many cops as possible or would start shooting citizens if he became cornered.
I do think he got screwed by the locals after he screwed himself out of a big payday, they basically froze him out. I think he’s just sort of a representation of the frustration a lot of people feel with local government politics. But you can’t ignore the gun ports. That’s what makes me unable to really be behind the guy.
But that is a damn good quote, I thought for sure he stole it but it turns out it’s original. I liked it, thought it had a decent meaning behind it.
Twitter
JalapeñoPapi
@JalapenoPapi
Tread on those who tread on you
3:19 PM · Jan 21, 2019
Facebook
Being Libertarian
June 4, 2019 at 10:00 AM ·
“Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.” - Marvin John Heemeyer (creator of the Killdozer) (LC)
Twitter
♦Acid Man (Author: Cooking With Hitler)
@AcidOverlord
Tread On Those Who Tread On You.
3:29 PM · Jun 4, 2019
Twitter
Francis King🌲🍄
@Pius_Prim
Happy killdozer day! Remember to literally tread on those who tread on you
7:04 PM · Jun 4, 2019
Twitter
Ahmad A.
@humanphile_
#Tread on those, who tread on you.
Tit for Tat.
(The saying is also shown on an image, with the Killdozer.—ed.)
1:53 PM · Sep 12, 2019
Twitter
Maria
@hothuong1208
Killdozer Tread on Those Who Tread On You shirt https://trendteestores.com/product/killdozer-tread-on-those-who-tread-on-you-shirt/
1:18 AM · Oct 11, 2019
Reddit—Conspiracy
Posted by u/threese7ens June 4, 2021
“Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.” Happy Killdozer Day!
Twitter
Jennifer on Ohitscool Store
@MintWildClothi1
Tread On Those Who Tread On You T-Shirt
https://ohitscool.com/product/tread-on-those-who-tread-on-you-t-shirt/
#design #outfit #streetwear #style #fashion #simple #casual #comfort #tshirt #graphictshirt
8:36 PM · Apr 6, 2022
Twitter
Mixxtees.Shop
@Mixxtees_shop
Tread On Those Who Tread On You T-Shirt
Get This T-Shirt >> https://mixxtees.com/product/tread-on-those-who-tread-on-you-t-shirt/
11:31 AM · Jun 7, 2022
Twitter
TheKingShirt Store
@TheKingShirt
Tread on those who tread on you shirt
https://thekingshirt.com/product/tread-on-those-who-tread-on-you-shirt/
https://thekingshirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/tread-on-those-who-tread-on-you-shirt.jpg
3:22 AM · Jun 10, 2022
Twitter
Lars for President
@LibertarianLars
Gather around everyone, it’s time for an intriguing story about an ordinary man pushed to extraordinary measures.
Marvin Heemeyer, was a simple owner of a muffler shop in Granby, Colorado. When the city council decided to approve the construction of a concrete factory right across his shop, Marvin’s troubles began. This decision obstructed the only access road to his business. Marvin put up a fight, lodging appeals against the construction, even procuring heavy machinery for building a new access road himself. But all his efforts fell on deaf ears.
The concrete factory sprang up, blatantly disregarding the impact on Marvin’s business. To make matters worse, Marvin’s shop got cut off from the city’s sewage lines during the factory construction, leading to him being unjustly fined by the city council.
Seeing his livelihood crumble, Marvin refused to give in. Over a span of 18 months, he converted the bulldozer he had initially bought to salvage his business into an armored machine. It boasted 3-foot thick steel and concrete armor, advanced camera systems, and bulletproof glass.
June 4th, 2004 marked a day of reckoning. Marvin Heemeyer sealed himself inside this fortified bulldozer, famously known as the “Killdozer,” preparing to make his final stand.
Emerging from the muffler shop, Marvin directed the Killdozer towards the very concrete factory that led to his downfall. Over the next few hours, he drove through 13 buildings associated with those who had wronged him, including the city council building itself.
Despite attempts by SWAT teams and even other heavy machinery to stop the Killdozer, nothing could penetrate its solid armor. However, Marvin’s crusade came to a halt when the Killdozer got trapped in one of the buildings it was set to destroy. Marvin made the somber decision to end his life, the only life taken that fateful day.
Today, we commemorate Killdozer Day in honor of Marvin Heemeyer, considered the last true American folk hero. He symbolizes a man pushed to the edge who chose to stand up against an indifferent system.
From Marvin’s notes that were discovered posthumously:
“I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable. Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.”
9:30 AM · Jun 4, 2023
iFunny
Belize
5 June 2023
TREAD ON THOSE WHO TREAD ON YOU