Sunday, April 27, 2003
Hate on Trial
I first moved to Portland, Oregon in the Fall of 1990. The first Gulf War was starting to shape up, and Californian bigot Tom Metzger was being sued in civil court for his role in influencing three racist skinheads in the beating death of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw. The attorney representing Seraw's family (well, one of several) was Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a man who three years earlier bankrupted the United Klans of America in a similar trial.
While this was an embarrassing time for Portland-earning the name "Skinhead City" isn't exactly good for tourism-it was a fascinating time to live here. The trial, along with protests over the upcoming war, brought the issue of freedom of speech to the forefront of discussions everywhere.
I've just finished reading Hate On Trial by Morris Dees and Steve Fiffer, and I have to say it's a pretty amazing book. If you're looking for a glimpse of what things were like 13 years ago, or if you're simply a First Amendment junkie like myself, get down to your local library or used bookstore (Hate on Trial is out of print) and grab a copy. John Grisham has nothing on real life.
Seraw's family were awarded $12.5 million dollars and the blemish on the Rose City's name began to heal. Many skinheads left the area for places like Idaho (only to have Dees stop them there with a $6.3 million dollar judgment against Aryan Nations), many more simply grew their hair, dropped their goofy uniforms, and blended into the populace. And the change of costumes worked, Portlander's have allowed themselves to believe that what we can't see, can't hurt us. Or can it?
The truth is they're still out there, and in the wake of 09.11, their numbers are slowly growing again-not just in Portland, but everywhere. I'll grant you on face value it's hard to take them seriously. With the neo-nazi's love of pageantry and grade school sloganeering, it's easier to perceive them as rejects from Hogan's Heroes than any kind of real threat, until they kill someone again.
Some recent headlines on Oregon hate groups:
Links to Portland Anti-Hate Organizations:
An informed community is the best defense against hate.-From 10 Ways to Fight Hate from Tolerence.org.
Labels: Portland
|
