NORCO 80: The Aftermath - Survivalism

During the past year, many of us turned towards the general tenets of survivalism, stocking up on supplies, planting gardens, and limiting our interactions with those outside of our immediate household. On May 9, 1980, it wasn’t a pandemic, but rather the fear of an imminent, biblical reckoning that led two men obsessed with self-preservation to devise and execute an audacious, mid-day bank robbery in the small town of Norco, CA. George Wayne Smith and Christopher Harven were steeped in the world of survivalism and religious fervor and believed they needed an ample supply of guns and money to weather the coming apocalypse. Through understanding the lives and motivations of these men and the friends they recruited to assist in the heist, we can examine how a culture of self-reliance and a fascination with guns enthralled the men involved in the robbery and still resonate in our society today. How is this different—or the same—as what fueled the Norco robbers in 1980? Join LAist Studios Executive Producer and Norco 80 podcast host Antonia Cereijido and special guests on May 13 for an in-depth look at survivalism and preppers, past and present. Special guests: Paige Ferrari, producer - Doomsday Preppers Bradley Garrett, author of BUNKER

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