Shirley Allen

The 1997 Roby standoff, sometimes referred to as "Roby Ridge", was a standoff that occurred over the course of 39 days from September 22 to October 31, 1997, in Roby, Illinois, involving law enforcement and Shirley Allen, a 51-year-old woman resisting involuntary commitment. It is one of the longest single-person standoffs in history, and was the longest standoff in the history of the Illinois State Police. The standoff was the subject of a minor media circus in late 1997, and Allen was supported by libertarians and the American militia movement, some of whom traveled to Roby to support her. The only casualty of the standoff was a police dog that was shot and wounded by Allen.

Background Shirley Ann Allen (born 1946–47) is a retired nurse who lived in a two-story farmhouse in Roby, an unincorporated area of Christian County, Illinois, approximately 20 miles southeast of Springfield. In 1989, Allen's husband, John, died of pancreatic cancer in her living room, leaving her alone. His death deeply affected her, and she began exhibiting severe paranoia, believing she was being watched by helicopters that spoke to her and that items in her house kept moving or disappearing. The utilities to Allen's property were also cut, again to little effect: she was using battery-powered devices, subsided on a preexisting stockpile of canned food, and had already been relying on bottled water after her property's well ran dry. In an apparent attempt to "soothe her", police began to loudly play classical music and songs by Barry Manilow (apparently her favorite genre and music artist respectively ) over speakers toward Allen's house.

In an attempt to calm Allen's supporters, Gainer contacted J.J. Johnson, a former militia leader, and Jack McLamb, a former police officer who was present at the Ruby Ridge standoff, who had both traveled to Roby to protest the police siege. After Gainer met with them and discussed his perspective, Johnson and McLamb came around to understand police actions, but their attempts at expressing this at a rally led to the protestors labeling them traitors. Responding to criticisms of excessive time and cost, Gainer explained that while it would probably have been justifiable to raid Allen's property early, they would simply be criticized for being aggressive instead, and that he was willing to be patient if it meant Allen's life would be at less risk.

Aftermath Allen was not charged with any crimes, but she was billed approximately $20,000 for each day that the standoff lasted. As of 2007, she was reported to still be living in her same house in Roby.

The standoff drew national attention as one of the longest standoffs involving a single suspect in history. Political controversies over the cost of the operation and involuntary commitment laws ensued. The Libertarian Party called for reform of Illinois mental health laws that provide for the hospitalization of people who do not break the law.