"Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things".
-Marvin Heemeyer
Three years ago, a man had about all he could take from his small town government. He set about on a mission that would culminate a year later in an orgy of awesome destruction that shows just what a man pushed to the edge could do. This man, was Marvin Heemeyer.
The instrument of his wrath... The Killdozer!
On June fourth, 2004 a legend was born. In the days of our ancestors, before modern communication, the tale of Marvin and his Killdozer would have been whisperedover pints in hushed pubs, with shadows from the crackling fireplaces painting pictures on the walls. It would have been passed between travelers on the road and eventually it would have grown into something like the stories of Paul Bunyan, John Henry or Davy Crockett. A folk tale, something to inspire people to be more than are, give them hope when things got dark and hope seemed gone. This is what Marvin did with his Killdozer.
But what exactly was that? The Granby city government changed the zoning regulations around Marvin's muffler shop in order to allow a concrete plant to be constructed, bringing more revenue into the city. While this is no crime in and of itself, the actions of Granby following the construction of this factory were.
From Wikipedia:
He had purchased the bulldozer to construct an alternate route to his muffler shop. This was because the concrete plant blocked the original road to his shop. However, city officials refused to grant him permission.
Other factors were also hindering his business.
The concrete plant often left large quantities of dust on Marvin's property, and cut him off from the city sewer line. When Heemeyer requested to extend a sewer line across eight feet of the plant's property, he was denied. Not being connected to the city sewer line resulted in a $2500 fine that Marvin had to pay.
As a last measure, Marvin petitioned the city with his neighbors and friends, but to no avail.
Faced with the failure of his business in spite of his efforts, Heemeyer was forced to sell the property. He was given six months to leave, and it was during this time that he constructed the Killdozer
Marvin was a man pushed to his limits. We see reports of these men in the news often enough, though. Usually they grab a gun and start killing people. Those are not heroes. Those are people reduced to nothing but rage, lashing out indiscriminately. What made Marvin different was the Killdozer.
Built from a komatsu D335A bulldozer, Marvin used his expert welding skills to cover the vehicle in armor plating. He didn't stop there though. He reinforced that plating with inches of concrete, over this, more armor plating. Reports have stated that this makeshift composite armor was a foot deep in some places. Outside he had mounted cameras connected to internal monitors, there was a rifle port and even a compressed air hose to keep dust from obscuring his cameras. Once inside, he welded the hatch shut and began his attack.
Marvin destroyed the concrete factory, the city hall, the town newspaper (which had mocked his letters telling people of the injustice), the mayor's house and other buildings related to the troubles which caused the birth of Killdozer. The police were powerless against him. At first they simply used bullets, but Killdozer, like Superman, is bulletproof. They tried explosives. The Killdozer does not explode. They even recruited other construction machinery to fight Killdozer, but like a wolf against a dog, Killdozer easily prevailed. He was unstoppable. The police were impotent against the might and power of Killdozer!
But all good things must end, and that end, for Killdozer, was when it's radiator gave out. Still, suffering from this mortal wound, Killdozer limped proudly into one last building, bringing it down before it's death throes.
So raises your glasses and give a toast to the man who'd had enough and did something about it, right or wrong!
-Marvin Heemeyer
Three years ago, a man had about all he could take from his small town government. He set about on a mission that would culminate a year later in an orgy of awesome destruction that shows just what a man pushed to the edge could do. This man, was Marvin Heemeyer.
The instrument of his wrath... The Killdozer!
On June fourth, 2004 a legend was born. In the days of our ancestors, before modern communication, the tale of Marvin and his Killdozer would have been whisperedover pints in hushed pubs, with shadows from the crackling fireplaces painting pictures on the walls. It would have been passed between travelers on the road and eventually it would have grown into something like the stories of Paul Bunyan, John Henry or Davy Crockett. A folk tale, something to inspire people to be more than are, give them hope when things got dark and hope seemed gone. This is what Marvin did with his Killdozer.
But what exactly was that? The Granby city government changed the zoning regulations around Marvin's muffler shop in order to allow a concrete plant to be constructed, bringing more revenue into the city. While this is no crime in and of itself, the actions of Granby following the construction of this factory were.
From Wikipedia:
He had purchased the bulldozer to construct an alternate route to his muffler shop. This was because the concrete plant blocked the original road to his shop. However, city officials refused to grant him permission.
Other factors were also hindering his business.
The concrete plant often left large quantities of dust on Marvin's property, and cut him off from the city sewer line. When Heemeyer requested to extend a sewer line across eight feet of the plant's property, he was denied. Not being connected to the city sewer line resulted in a $2500 fine that Marvin had to pay.
As a last measure, Marvin petitioned the city with his neighbors and friends, but to no avail.
Faced with the failure of his business in spite of his efforts, Heemeyer was forced to sell the property. He was given six months to leave, and it was during this time that he constructed the Killdozer
Marvin was a man pushed to his limits. We see reports of these men in the news often enough, though. Usually they grab a gun and start killing people. Those are not heroes. Those are people reduced to nothing but rage, lashing out indiscriminately. What made Marvin different was the Killdozer.
Built from a komatsu D335A bulldozer, Marvin used his expert welding skills to cover the vehicle in armor plating. He didn't stop there though. He reinforced that plating with inches of concrete, over this, more armor plating. Reports have stated that this makeshift composite armor was a foot deep in some places. Outside he had mounted cameras connected to internal monitors, there was a rifle port and even a compressed air hose to keep dust from obscuring his cameras. Once inside, he welded the hatch shut and began his attack.
Marvin destroyed the concrete factory, the city hall, the town newspaper (which had mocked his letters telling people of the injustice), the mayor's house and other buildings related to the troubles which caused the birth of Killdozer. The police were powerless against him. At first they simply used bullets, but Killdozer, like Superman, is bulletproof. They tried explosives. The Killdozer does not explode. They even recruited other construction machinery to fight Killdozer, but like a wolf against a dog, Killdozer easily prevailed. He was unstoppable. The police were impotent against the might and power of Killdozer!
But all good things must end, and that end, for Killdozer, was when it's radiator gave out. Still, suffering from this mortal wound, Killdozer limped proudly into one last building, bringing it down before it's death throes.
So raises your glasses and give a toast to the man who'd had enough and did something about it, right or wrong!
