Leaders of 1960s sit-ins and protests went underground, made bombs, blew up others and sometimes themselves. Harven viewed signs of impending social collapse in the alignment of planets, predictions of cataclysmic overpopulation, ecological disaster, and an array of other doomsday scenarios that gained traction during the decade. In May of 1980, the sleepy streets of Norco, California were turned into an all-out war zone in what was one of the most violent bank robberies in American history. A very, very bad plan. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers. The cops involved in the firefight that day were not so different from the cops who came before and after them: working-class guys, many from families with a long history in law enforcement, most of whom knew from an early age that they wanted to be in police work too. The book of Revelation had laid out the general game plan. Houlahan appears for a reading on June 3, 6 p.m., at Norco Public Library, 3240 Hamner Ave Suite 101B, Norco; a reading and signing on June 5, 7 p.m., at Pages: a bookstore, 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach; and a reading and signing on June 6, 7 p.m., at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. The motive for robbing banks has remained the same since February 13, 1866, when members of the James-Younger Gang walked into the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri, stole $60,000, and shot a bystander to death in what is widely believed to be the first bank robbery in United States history. The 1970s were not a hangover from the 1960s, but more like those menacing, early-morning hours of a party that has gone on way too long. The key takeaway for both was simple: We are all going to die. It’s not even past.” In the case of Norco, it seems to go on forever. They had both entered adulthood at the dawn of the 1970s, so whatever beliefs and world views they possessed were formed almost entirely by the peculiar zeitgeist of that decade. As devastating as a single one of those tactical weapons would have been to the troops in the field, the greater danger they posed was their potential role as a “gateway” nuke to eventual strategic, intercontinental nuclear warfare. He estimates in looking back that he was probably in the heat of the action, that is, … After all, once you’ve morally justified using the first nuclear weapon, is it really going to be all that hard to justify defending your country with more and bigger ones? These cookies do not store any personal information. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Even today, 40 years later, many of the men involved in the Norco shootout break down and cry when recounting it. Aesthetically speaking, its world looked much the same in 1980 as it does today. The sound of having your cruiser torn apart by military-grade weapons. Dear Reader: We are proud to introduce today the first installment of “Norco ’80,” the incredible true story of a Southern California bank robbery that occurred 40 years ago this month. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. The teenagers still wear their hair long and hang out in front of the 7-Eleven and the bowling alley in ripped jeans and ratty rock concert T-shirts. Never was that threat more acute than in the 1970s. By 1980, the number of European-based tactical nukes reached well over ten thousand, including missiles and artillery shells tipped with W48, W50, and W70 thermonuclear warheads with kiloton loads reaching well into double digits. Cover of “Norco ’80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History.” “Bullets ricocheted off the pavement in front of him with a singing sound as they fragmented. Bars and Restaurants Have Adjusted to the Plastic Straw Ban (and So Can You), Santa Monica Has Made a Mess of Investigating Last Spring’s Public Safety Disaster, Trump’s Last-Minute Pardon of a College Scandal Dad Has ‘Supporters’ Scratching Their Heads. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The boulevards of Norco are still lined with the same fast-food restaurants, taco joints, gas stations, and convenience stores, many of which have the same names they did back then. So together they made a plan. A true crime account of one of the most violent bank heists in US history. 4 talking about this. It’s a story about people preparing for the collapse of society.” Listen to the first two episodes now, wherever you get your podcasts. The author recounts the events of the botched robbery and subsequent battle between the thieves and police in so much detail, that the narrative puts the reader squarely in the moment in a second-by-second way. You can adjust your cookie choices in those tools at any time. On May 9, 1980, five young men armed with military-grade weapons attempted an ill-conceived robbery of the Security Pacific Bank in Norco, California. In the first half of the 1970s, just after their graduation from high school, George Wayne Smith and Christopher Harven witnessed a constant parade of radical groups who not only believed they could overthrow a government, start a civil war, or collapse a society, but actively tried to do just that. It’s been called the most spectacular bank robbery in American history, and now the story behind California’s most unbelievable bank heist is told in a new. This is the story of the 1980 Norco bank robbery—one of the most violent bank heists in U.S. history. If creative interpretation was required to match up events and cultural trends with End Times biblical prophecy, the means by which that prophecy would be fulfilled was utterly unambiguous. The Clash in Norco. MANNY AND BILLY DELGADO DIED ON THE SCENE. They were part of a long line stretching back at least two thousand years to the time when an apocalyptic preacher known as Jesus of Nazareth roamed the Sinai Peninsula warning of the end of the world. Norco ’80 tells the story of how five heavily-armed young men—led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian—attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. There were more than 2,500 bombings by radical groups in the United States over an eighteen-month period between 1971 and 1972 alone. To understand why a group of young men with no serious criminal records would attempt a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent events in law enforcement history, one must first understand the times in which it took place. It was not long before the 1960s idea that you could change society morphed into the belief that you must destroy it first. Podcasting Today - The Lastest Podcast News Reviews Tips and Advice ... Home. AND THE OTHER 3 WOULD BE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE. In November 1978, just 18 months before the Norco robbery, more than nine hundred members of the Peoples Temple died in what cult leader Jim Jones labeled an act of “revolutionary suicide” but was, in fact, mass murder. Kevin Bash, Norco councilman and historian, stands at the site of the infamous May 1980 bank robbery in Norco on Friday, May 29, 2020. Some of the damage was immediate, tearing friendships apart, ending marriages, destroying careers, and ruining lives. As always, they boasted that cop swagger and thought themselves immune to any lasting effects from their experiences on the job. Factual. They had rigid definitions of right and wrong. Free love became an epidemic of venereal disease and unwelcome pregnancies. With David Cubitt, Kristin Lehman, Jessica Steen, Brendan Fletcher. Many went into the military first, which in those days often meant a tour in Vietnam. Demolition continues on Thursday July 18, 2019 at the former Security Pacific National Bank building in Norco that was the site of the historic and infamous 1980 Norco Bank robbery. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Norco ’80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men—led by an apocalyptic born–again Christian—attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. They were none of those things. Smith was sent to Germany in the shadow of the Iron Curtain for two years as an artilleryman trained in the art of lofting battlefield nukes into enemy forces. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. It did not matter that groups such as the Symbionese Liberation Army, Weather Underground, and Black Liberation Army had little support and stood no chance of succeeding. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. Cops became “pigs,” regarded by the radical underground as foot soldiers of a deeply corrupt status quo and targeted for assassination in major cities from coast to coast. Communes turned into cults or business opportunities for predatory self-help gurus. Cities descended further into lawlessness, poverty, and bankruptcy while violent crime across the country escalated at a rate that would be almost unimaginable today. (Courtesy of the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association) ... “You’re pretty quiet today, Andy,” Hille said. Copyright © 2019 by Peter Houlahan, from Norco ’80. Remarkably, only three people died. However, this brand of aggressive theology, intended to frighten the youth of Orange County into the pews and keep them there, was viewed by many as irresponsible, abusive, and dangerous. The answer can vary from region to region, but I would argue that a good place to mark the beginning of the modern patrol rifle concept – in which a rifle is a normal part of the everyday kit – is the Norco bank robbery. Courtesy Riverside County Sheriffs Department. In this way, the Norco bank robbery is not frozen in time. The two men behind the Norco bank robbery believed that America was on the verge of a catastrophe of biblical proportions, one in which only the well-armed and well prepared would survive. But they were not immune, of course, not then and not now. Their school days from kindergarten through twelfth grade had been punctuated by monthly “duck and cover” drills. You can even pull your car into the drive-through banking lanes at the Security Pacific Bank building, but no one will help you; it houses an architectural firm now. On a spring afternoon in 1980, a gang of heavily armed men terrorized the town of Norco, California, This website stores cookies on your computer. The thought that maybe you could have done something different that might have saved the life of a fellow cop. You can still buy a dime bag of weed off a street corner dealer in Rubidoux. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 'Norco '80' Is A Gripping Account Of One Of America's Most Notorious Bank Heists Peter Houlahan's account of the violent robbery and its aftermath is based on … However, 30 police cars and one helicopter were torn apart by bullets. When the Norco Bank Robbery & Shootout was over, the toll was staggering. . Based on the true events. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. George and Chris became friends, looked for signs of the approaching Apocalypse together, bought a house together, lost jobs and wives and girlfriends together, and eventually descended into desperation together. Part action thriller and part courtroom d Both George Smith and Christopher Harven were part of the first generation to live their entire lives under the threat of nuclear war. Born-again ministries such as the Melodyland Christian Center and Calvary Chapel, from which the movement originated, employed Pentecostal-style fire-and-brimstone tactics to keep membership in a perpetual state of terror, afraid that when the Rapture came, Jesus would find them unworthy and leave them behind. “Norco '80” is the true story of the 1980 Norco CA bank robbery & shootout, one of the most violent and spectacular events in law enforcement history “Norco 80” New addition by Mark Lentine & Eddie George with Hemeteyenews.com “It seemed like a pretty normal day. Détente and the SALT I treaty notwithstanding, what made the 1970s so dangerous was the dramatic increase in tactical battlefield nuclear weapons deployed throughout Western Europe by both the United States and the Soviet Union. in our final chapter, how we still feel the impact the norco bank robbery today. The idealism of Woodstock became the pure hedonism of Club 57. Smith and Harven did not want to change the world, they just wanted to survive it once the whole shithouse went up in flames. While the men who robbed the bank might be products of their time, the men on the other side of the confrontation were not. Most dedicated themselves unwaveringly to the game plan laid out by the church to assure their entry into the Kingdom of the Lord. I was fortunate to attend the 2019 annual training conference of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) in Orlando, Florida, and hear Peter Houlahan speak about the infamous Norco bank robbery that’s the subject of his book, Norco ’80. Off duty, they looked like regular blue-collar guys, reflecting the fashion, hairstyles, and trends of the time. Vast arsenals of nuclear warheads locked and loaded on land, sea, and air assured that the Apocalypse was not only possible but, in the view of millions, inevitable. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. 40 Years Later, the Aftermath of a Deadly Bank Robbery Still Lingers... How L.A. Parkes, now an officer with the Irvine Police Department, had been with the Riverside Sheriff’s Department “just less than three years” at the time of the Norco bank robbery. A movie on the event, meanwhile, is in Norco bank robbery site will soon be home to memorial, convenience store | San Bernardino Today They were not drug addicts desperate for their next fix, a ring of thieves looking to pull a string of heists, or members of a street gang eager for a roll of hundreds to flash around. The motive for the 1980 robbery of the Security Pacific National Bank in Norco, California, may have been typical, but the reason the men who planned it wanted that money was not. While Norco can in many ways be defined by the times in which it took place, it did not occur in an entirely bygone era. Norco ’80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men—led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian—attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. If one were on the lookout for warning signs of the collapse of civil society and the obliteration of mankind, there were plenty of them to see by May 1980. A less existential yet equally contributing factor to the evolution of the two men from weed-smoking, petty scofflaws to violent bank robbers was rooted as much in the “where” as it was in the “when.” When George Smith stepped off the transport plane from Germany, he returned home to Orange County, California, to find himself at ground zero of the biggest religious youth movement since the Children’s Crusade. “The Norco bank robbery happened at a time of economic depression and global anxiety,” says host Cerejido. The feed store that sheriff’s deputies stormed in the mistaken belief there were gunmen holed up inside is still there, as is the row of small stucco ranch houses that took semiautomatic gunfire through their windows. Harven was not what you would call a follower, but George Smith was a particularly articulate and persuasive young man, adding his own extreme biblical interpretations to Harven’s hodgepodge of pseudoscientific beliefs. LAist Studios, Southern California Public Radio’s (SCPR) podcast development and production studio, today announced Norco ‘80: God, Guns, Survivalism and the Bank Robbery that Changed Policing Forever a new limited series podcast premiering on January 11, 2021. George Wayne Smith and Christopher Harven were certainly not the first people to conclude that humanity was headed for imminent disaster. Reprinted by permission of Counterpoint Press. “A time not all that different from today. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our. The helplessness of being completely outgunned or the terror of being shot. Superb This is a thoroughly researched and well written true crime story about the infamous Norco bank robbery of 1980. Parents still shuttle kids to school and ballet classes or to the Little League field at Detroit and Hamner where the robbers parked their getaway cars forty years before. A desperate band of Militia men attempts a daylight bank robbery in the sleepy semi-rural City of Norco, California, and leads the local Police on the longest, most violent running gun battle in Law Enforcement history. For whatever reason, the passing of years does not seem to help all that much, not for the police officers and civilians terrorized on a spring afternoon by a gang of heavily armed men, and not for the families of the bank robbers who so needlessly threw their lives away. See details. Directed by Kari Skogland. It was a decade of national disillusionment and self-destructive indulgence where many of the counterculture philosophies formed in the late 1960s played themselves out in very ugly ways. LAPD Reports a Sharp Increase in Violent Crime. So What’s Behind It. There is no doubt that the “Jesus movement” had a positive impact on some young lives, especially considering the other counterculture alternatives available in the early 1970s. But it just keeps rippling out through the generations, carried forward by heartbroken parents, wives, brothers, and sisters, and handed down to the half dozen children left fatherless on both sides. The more traditional idea of armed revolution was also particularly active in the 1970s. Pornography evolved from sexy girls in bunny tails into the explicit raunchiness of Larry Flynt’s Hustler. All George and Chris had to do was untangle the parables, decode the timeline, and match up the current events that would usher in the Rapture, Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming. Deputy Jim Evans, who was killed in the 1980 Norco bank robbery. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. Harven, booted out of the army after only two months, still gained an insider’s understanding of the implications of the sharp ramping-up of tactical nukes that was underway. In 1980 that meant long sideburns, blow-dried hair, wide lapels, ugly polyester shirts, flared slacks, and, to a man, mustaches. At the time of the robbery, George Smith and Christopher Harven were 27 and 29 years old, respectively. About Norco ’80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History:. Christopher Harven was a different breed of cat, but when he looked out at the world, he saw all the same things Smith did. What mattered was that for the first time in the country’s history, many, including George Smith and Christopher Harven, were looking at American society and seeing a house of cards teetering on collapse. As William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. George Wayne Smith was one of those. Norco ’80 tells the story of how five heavily-armed young men—led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian—attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. Both Smith and Harven went straight from high school into the military. The site of the now-demolished bank that was the scene of a robbery-turned-manhunt on May 9, 1980, could be replaced by a convenience store and gas station. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Drug use became drug abuse as recreational pot smoking evolved into daily pot smoking and then cocaine, crystal meth, and the mind-obliterating angel dust. I was fortunate to attend the 2019 annual training conference of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) in Orlando, Florida, and hear Peter Houlahan speak about the infamous Norco bank robbery that’s the subject of his book, Norco ’80. Back then they were more inclined to go outside the official department protocols with a suspect if they felt it was justified, whether that meant giving a car thief an extra whack with the baton after a particularly harrowing pursuit or giving a drunken driver a lift home if they thought he was just a good guy having a bad day. Others saw their destiny as protectors, arming and preparing themselves to ride out the Apocalypse and the collapse of civil society they believed would precede it. Robbers rob for money and rob banks “because that’s where the money is.”. Factual Podcast News. December 10, 2020. They had spent their early childhood overhearing adults chattering nervously about Sputnik, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the nuclear arms race. of the five men who robbed a bank in norco in 1980, only 2 are alive today. Story behind famous Norco bank robbery revealed in new podcast. The motive for the 1980 robbery of the Security Pacific National Bank in Norco, California, may have been typical, but the reason the men who planned it wanted that money was not. You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. The shootout is the subject of “Norco ’80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History,” the debut book from Peter Houlahan, who was raised in …