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Hate Groups in Olympia |
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The tri-city area of Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey is the site of a growing hate
group presence. On January 22nd 2006 a small group of Nazi party members staged a media rally in front of
The Olympian and announced future plans for a larger rally to be held on the State Capitol steps on July 03, 2006. Eight people affiliated with the National Socialist Movement (the US Nazi Party) appeared with large swastika flags, some wearing Nazi uniforms. Although the Nazis gave only 24 hours’ notice of their rally through The Olympian, over 150 people gathered to oppose their presence in Olympia.
The hate group also distributed hate literature on lawns across the tri-city area, some of it contained in brightly colored Easter eggs. Their Portland leader, Jim Ramm, had been industriously searching the web for the names and contact information of local folks he identifies as Nazi opponents. He then posted their personal information along with harassing commentary on his NSM hate site, www.nukeisrael.com. Other acts of harassment and intimidation had been logged by a local Hate Watch sub-committee. The NSM posted the time and location of a February 22nd community meeting, encouraging “racial patriots to attend.” One apparent Nazi did try to infiltrate the meeting, only to be rebuffed by the Olympia Police. See "Nazis in Olympia: A Chronology" on the OMJP Web site for a compilation of events to date. Many wonder, “why here, why now?” According to sources with the Southern Poverty Law Center (an organization dedicated to tolerance education programs, tracking and suing hate groups), the National Socialist Movement is trying to move into a void of hate group leadership. Recent incidents across the country confirm that the NSM appears intent on provoking confrontations to grab media coverage. This happened in Toledo, Ohio, on October 15, 2005, when the NSM staged a march through a predominantly African American neighborhood. It happened on February 25, 2006, when the NSM marched through Orlando, Florida. And it happened with the rally held on the State Capitol steps on July 03, 2006 here in Olympia. The past few decades witnessed a significant number of hate groups active in the Pacific Northwest, most notably the Aryan Nations based in Northern Idaho, The Order based on Whidbey Island, and VolksFront based in Portland. All of these groups are tied to violence and bias crime. These Northwest-based groups have made clear their intent to create an Aryan Homeland in the Pacific Northwest. In response, many community-based organizations are countering these hate groups and their message by mobilizing their friends and neighbors to stand up for diversity. These organizations include the Kitsap Human Rights Network. Olympia Unity in the Community is proud to be part of this tradition of communities who rise up against hate and in support of diversity and equality. Read: A Guide to Responding to Hate Groups: Lessons from Olympia, Washington - by Reiko Callner and Anna Schlecht, coordinators of Olympia, Washington’s Unity in the Community, published on the Not In Our Town (NOIT) website: http://www.niot.org/action-hub/local-lessons/guide-responding-hate-groups
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