News Roundup for June 22, 2011
The Associated Press today has an in-depth story about the revival of the Inland Northwest as a haven for anti-government extremists and white supremacists. The small town of Kalispell, Montana, has recently seen some new and infamous arrivals, including white supremacist stage mother April Gaede, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, and Randy Weaver of Ruby Ridge standoff fame.
A Newark man was indicted today on charges of intimidating and murdering Victoria Carmen White after learning that White was a transgender woman. The slaying marks yet another example of the vulnerability of gays and transgender people. The SPLC reported recently that LGBT people are by far the group most targeted by violent hate crime.
Testimony in the trial of accused cop-killer and white nationalist Richard Poplawski has revealed that SWAT responders feared that Poplawski’s surrender was an ambush. Evidence presented today detailed the near-depletion of the SWAT team’s ammunition in the gun battle, Poplawski’s repeated use of racial slurs during the standoff, and his admission of murdering three Pittsburgh officers.
Five more members of Latino gangs in North County, Calif., have been arrested today in connection with a wave of anti-black hate crimes in California, this time dating back as far as April.
About 40 KKK flyers have recently been distributed around Houston County, Ala., sparking renewed vigilance over Klan presence in the area.
A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas was sentenced to life in prison for the 2007 murder of two people over debts owed to the group.
