GD Blankenship
A conspiracy theorist with a large following that was accused of trying to take over a small town
2020 - present
GD Blankenship is a conspiracy theorist from Nashville, TN that campaigns against vaccines and the New World Order. In 2020, he rented a house in St. Agatha, Maine, a small village right next to the Canadian border with a population of about 750 residents, and encouraged over 1,000 online followers to move in with him. Residents in St. Agatha feared a possible takeover by Blankenship and his followers and fought to prevent them from moving in. In the end, Blankenship was evicted and arrested for a prior warrant in Tennessee but has maintained a large following.
Religion: Christianity
Denomination: Other
Founder: Gary Blankenship
Founded: 2020
Location: St. Agatha, Maine, US
Size: 3,000
Website: facebook.com/gary.blankenship.735
Opposed to vaccines (source)
Blankenship fixed up an old house and encouraged followers to move in with him (source)
Blankenship has received death threats, had bottles thrown at his house, and has received a "steady stream of abuse" from people in the community (source)
Blankenship's daughter was accused of threatening to blow up a school, resulting in over 350 students staying home. However, authorities said that it was not a legitimate threat. It is unclear whether the daughter made any threats of violence, but it is clear that it has resulted in the spread of false rumors concerning Blankenship and those associated with him (source)
Other tags:
Message by Blankenship
Message by Blankenship