- Thanks to CuriosityStream for keeping Legal Eagle in the air. Almost two million
Facebook users have pledged to storm Area 51 to
demand answers about UFOs. The planned event is scheduled
for September 20th, 2019. We're through the looking glass, people, the truth is out there. The US Air Force has used
Area 51 for nuclear testing, experimental aircraft and defense systems, but for decades, people
have suspected that Area 51 houses dead aliens,
spaceships, and other gear related to alien life. Although the Facebook user
who organized the event has said the whole thing is a joke, plenty of people are
taking this post seriously. If just one percent of
people who signed up online decided to actually show up, the government could have
a big problem on its hands, and the truth could finally be revealed. That's why the Air Force
actually issued a statement. Area 51 is an open training
range for the US Air Force, and we would discourage
anyone from trying to come into the area where we
train American armed forces. The Air Force is ready to
protect America and its assets. What started as a joke is
evolving into a serious attempt to learn more about
one of the government's most notorious military black sites. So what would happen if people actually tried to invade Area 51? Well we're about to find out. (dramatic music) Hey Legal Eagles, it's time
to think like a lawyer, and today we are talking
about the legal ramifications of what would happen if a bunch
of idiots stormed Area 51. So what is Area 51? Area 51 is the common name
of a highly classified US Air Force facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range. The US government set up
Area 51 after World War II, when it was developing the U2 spy plane. Area 51 is near a dry lake
bed called Groom Lake, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas. The first U2 planes took flight in 1955, and immediately reports poured in about unidentified flying objects or UFOs. The U2 spy plane was so advanced it appeared alien even
to commercial pilots. Since the US Air Force was
not going to acknowledge the existence of its
super-secret spy plane program, the government dismissed UFO sightings as natural phenomena or weather events, which has spawned decades of
conspiracy theories ever since. Even after the U2 program
stopped testing at the site, the Air Force continued to use Area 51, we just don't know everything
that they have used it for. The theories about aliens
intensified in 1989 when an engineer named Bob
Lazar told the local Las Vegas news that he had worked on
alien technology at Area 51. - Yeah, I didn't even
believe in flying saucers up until I was employed at S4. - He claimed to have
seen nine different kinds of UFOs during his work at Area 51. The Air Force of course did
not comment on Bob Lazar. In fact, for years the
government has refused to even confirm Area 51's existence, despite the many credible accounts that real people were
actually working at the site. - The government (chuckles)
is doing everything but looking out for us. The only thing they're
looking out is for themselves. - For example, in the 1990s,
lawyer Jonathan Turley represented federal workers from Area 51 who had been exposed to some
kind of burning chemical that had caused catastrophic
health problems. Doctors could not even
identify what chemicals could have caused the damage. Although the government did
finally acknowledge the site, President Clinton issued a blanket waiver letting Area 51 keep its chemicals secret. Interest in Area 51 piqued again in 2019 after Lazar went on Joe Rogan's podcast to describe his alleged
role in attempting to reverse engineer alien
technology at Area 51. Lazar is a self-proclaimed
physicist who claims to have worked at a facility called
S4 inside of a mountain. - I went into the hangar
door and in the hangar door was the disc, the flying
saucer that I worked on. This was a small reactor
about the size of, hemisphere about the size of a basketball on a metal plate and when it was running, it produced a gravitational field, a gravitational field of its own. - Regardless of whether Lazar is credible, it is undeniable that things
are still happening at Area 51. A secret commuter jet
known as Janet Airlines still transports federal workers
from the Las Vegas Airport to the site, it's actually the only way the federal workers can get in, and the site is actually expanding. According to a Popular
Mechanics aerial time lapse, a new runway was built,
buildings have been added, and the government is still
excavating the mountainside. So the question is could
people storm Area 51? Well, there are two big
problems with storming Area 51. The first is practical
and the second is legal. The practical problem
with storming Area 51 is how to get close enough to the site to actually do or see something. I'm not gonna go into too much detail about all of the practical
problems of storming Area 51 because Real Life Lore has
already done an amazing video essay about all
of the practical issues, including a lot of information
about Janet Airlines, and the issues of storming an air base in the middle of the Nevada desert. So definitely go check out that video after you watch this one,
link in the dublidoo. But suffice to say, the
closest town to Area 51 is Rachel, Nevada, population of 58. Conspiracy theorists
routinely gather there for conventions and fun,
and the locals play along with souvenir shops, alien-themed
food, and general kitsch. The only hotel in town
is the Little A'le Inn, which is already booked for
September 19th and 20th, so obviously someone intends to show up, and they have already booked their rooms. Rachel is located on Nevada Highway 375, which is sometimes called
the Extraterrestrial Highway. To get close to Area 51,
people must take a dirt road from Route 375 which
leads to restricted lands. You can get about 15
miles up the dirt road before you start seeing
fences and security. Now Area 51 is a classified
military operating area. That means that not all of the borders of the huge area are fenced or walled. However, they are marked by orange posts and plenty of warning signs. The signs prohibit
photographs and trespass. Those who have approached the borders have been confronted by
men wearing camouflage. It isn't clear whether
these camouflaged men are military personnel
or private security, but Area 51 enthusiasts have
dubbed the men Camo Dudes. YouTuber Adventures With
Christian has made several trips to Area 51, including hiking
nearby mountain ranges and driving to various perimeter points. Christian once drove up to the back gate, which is guarded by a high
fence, several buildings, and the camo dudes. The armed guards followed
Christian as he drove back. On another occasion,
Christian tried to sleep inside his vehicle near a different gate, but he was met by police and again camouflaged military personnel. The police politely
told Christian to leave. Christian's experience seems
to confirm some of the rules of engagement for Area
51 security personnel. They are reportedly ordered
to observe and act as a deterrent, rather than seeking direct engagement with trespassers. However, they will contact
local law enforcement to deal with anyone who is suspicious. The military uses motion sensors, cameras, and other early warning
devices to notify them every time someone approaches Area 51. That's why the best way
to see the restricted area might be from the air. However, it's illegal to fly
over Area 51's air space. The air space above Area 51 is a 23 mile by 25 mile no fly zone, so don't expect that you'll be able to
fly any drones nearby. Even pilots from local Air Force bases in California and Nevada are prohibited from flying over Area
51 without permission. Pilots who have attempted
to fly into one of the buffer zones around
the air space are punished, even if it's just a mistake, and pilots caught knowingly
flying into Area 51 air space can be court marshaled. Drones are also a no go. When Hans Falkner used a
drone to take several videos of Area 51 from above, the
military quickly posted new signs explicitly
prohibiting the use of drones. But let's say you manage
to turn down Route 375 and approach the boundaries, will law enforcement be there to stop you? This brings us to the second
issue with storming Area 51, the legal problem, and oh boy, there are lots of legal problems. Trespassing on military bases is a crime under Title 18 Section
1382, no person may enter a military installation
without permission. Military installations include a, quote, military, naval, or
coast guard reservation, post, fort, arsenal, yard,
station, or installation. Area 51 is considered part
of Edwards Air Force Base, so it qualifies as a
place you cannot enter without serious consequences. Those found guilty of
trespass face six months in federal prison, a $500 fine, or both, and the authorities take
this issue very seriously. No kidding. In 2014, a tour bus
accidentally drove past the warning signs and got
just inside of Area 51. Military personnel armed
with assault rifles pulled the bus over and
threatened to arrest the passengers and their guide. They were charged with
misdemeanor trespass and given $650 fines. In 2016, a BBC show called
Conspiracy Road Trip decided to film the perimeter of Area 51. They approached the security hut, but when no one came out, the crew of 12 decided to keep going
past the security hut and see how far they could get. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] To me, it seemed like an ordinary military facility. But my companions were convinced this was the gateway to the
extraterrestrial secrets. - The guards were inside
watching a basketball game. When one of the camera
crew knocked on the window of the security hut,
armed guards rushed out and held the man at gunpoint. They were forced to lie on the ground for three hours while the
FBI ran security checks. To would-be alien hunters
and those who believe Fox Mulder's claim that
the truth is out there. - No government agency has
jurisdiction over the truth. - These penalties may seem not so bad. It actually gets much, much worse. The perimeter of Area 51
contains No Trespass signs warning people that the
military can use deadly force. Has the military ever used deadly force against a trespasser? Yes, yes they have. Earlier this year, Area
51 security personnel shot and killed a man who
approached the perimeter in a car and blew past security checkpoints. After an eight-mile car chase,
he jumped out of the car, and when the man held a,
quote, cylindrical object in his hands, guards shot
him dead on the spot. In addition to death, which
is probably bad enough, people rounded up after
an attack on Area 51 could be charged with acts of terrorism. The Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as an attempt to, quote,
intimidate or coerce a civilian population,
to influence the policy of a government by
intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping. Although there is no
separate federal offense for domestic terrorism,
defendants could be charged under specific state and federal laws. For example, it is illegal
to kill or attempt to kill a federal agent or to use explosives to destroy a federal building. These kinds of charges
carry serious prison time. Even if thousands of alien
enthusiasts showed up on September 20th, it
looks like the US military would probably be ready to respond. Remember that Area 51 is
inside the Nevada Test and Training Range, where
the military conducts live target practice and
conducts simulated war. I was curious about this myself, so I spoke to a friend who
was a major in the Marines serving as an artillery officer, joint terminal attack controller, and a military prosecutor for
the judge advocate general. I asked him what would happen
if thousands of civilians stormed Area 51 and where
they would be tried. His response was they
wouldn't be tried anywhere because they'd be dead. So there's that, good night everyone! But when I pressed him, he said that supposing they actually survived, they'd be tried in the local
federal district court, which would be the federal
court in the district of Nevada. But he also pointed out
that the military is not in the habit of fighting
back in the media, so they would be
especially reluctant to use lethal force against
a huge group of people in a highly publicized event. Now given the forewarning
to the US military, the Air Force is likely building up a supply of non-lethal force. An actual invasion would be met with multiple levels of non-lethal force in ascending levels of brutality. So long as the buildings
and hangars were secure, the Air Force would be unlikely to use more than really, really
painful, less than lethal force. So what's the verdict? Could people storm Area 51
and make something happen? Probably, but what would actually happen would be mass arrests, and even death if people
got particularly aggressive. Of course, this doesn't mean
that there aren't questions about Area 51 that are worth asking. It's just unlikely that
massing outside the entrance to an Air Force base will
yield any real answers. What has worked? Well, a good, old-fashioned
Freedom of Information Act or a FOIA request. Back in 2005, Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior fellow at the
National Security Archives, submitted a FOIA request about Area 51. Eight years later, the CIA
sent back the largest cache of documents about Area 51 ever released, and confirming the site's
existence for the very first time. And confirming once again that the lawyers are the
real American heroes. Now obviously, aliens have
never come to planet Earth, but it's only a matter
of time until they do. Now if you want to prepare
for an alien invasion, I'd recommend World War
A, Aliens Invade Earth on CuriosityStream. World War A is a great documentary where leading scientists
and researchers weigh in on the scenarios that
might actually unfold if aliens did find us and
decide to visit Earth. It's a great bit of
speculative non-fiction, and it asks should we even be
searching for extraterrestrial life, and what are the
risks of reaching out and what are the risks if
Earth is found by aliens? CuriosityStream is the home of over 24,000 shows and documentaries
about science, nature, history, technology,
society, and lifestyle. Legal Eagles get a free
account for 30 days by clicking the link below or by using the promo code LegalEagle. Using the promo code really
helps out this channel, so click on the link
below and learn how you can fight back against the
coming extraterrestrial invasion. So do you agree? Leave your objections in the comments and check out my other
real law reviews over here, where I will see you in court.
Of course it’s worth it XD