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Portland, Oregon
PORTLfiMb
—
The Eyes and Ears of the community
Volume XVIII, Number 51
'•rLMb -y r; •■ * -
’A f • 'F .■ '.-■-
■___. ■
ERVER
November 17 1988
■
Skinheads: Racism, Terrorism and Murder
On March 23, 1988, after re­
viewing the Town Hall program,
the Portland Observer issued
the following warning in an Ed­
itorial: " We hope the Youth
Gang Task Force was listening
when members of the Eastside
Skinheads expressed their
brand of racism. W e hope
Mayor Bud Clark and Governor
Neil Goldschmidt were listen­
ing. We hope the Portlad Police
were listening. We hope they
heard what we heard: that the
Skinheads are neo-Nazis and
are determined to keep African-
Americans out of East Portland
and elsewhere. Their brand of
racism is meant to injure, hurt,
and even kill. And if that's not
serious, then chicken ain't
poultry."
Apparently, the guardians of
our civil rights were not listen­
ing. When Black Oregonians
expressed outrage at the low-
keyed, no action attitude of
City, State and Governmental
officials toward the Skinheads,
very few seem to hear or want
to hear.
Now, a Black man, Mulugeta
Seraw, has been beaten to
death, in Southeast Portland,
(possibly
by
Skinheads)
everyone seems willing to listen
and take action.
“SHAVED FOR
BATTLE”
Skinheads Target
America’s Youth
Special Report by Anti-
Defamation
League of
B’nai B’rith
G angs o f sh a v en -h e a d ed youth
sporting n eo-N azi in sig n ia and
p re a c h in g v io le n c e a g a in st
B lacks, Jew s, and o th er m in o ri­
ties have beco m e a m enacing
p resen ce in several U .S . cities.
T he m o st active o f these w hite
suprem acist “ skinhead” groups
o p erates in the C h icag o area
and goes by the nam e ‘ ‘ R o m an ­
tic V iolence.”
T he n u m b er o f sk in h e a d a c tiv ­
ists at presen t is sm all - no m ore
than several h u n d red across the
country - but they are G ro w in g ,
and th eir g lo rificatio n o f v io ­
lence and potential for attracting
alien ated youngsters m erits the
attention o f co m m u n ity leaders
as w ell as law en fo rc e m e n t o ffi­
The death of Mulugeta
Seraw was senseless, brutal,
and symbolic of the growing
violence
against
African-
Americans, Jews and people of
color. Mr. Seraw's death also
speaks to the serious and
dangerous problem of racism in
the City of Portland and the
State of Oregon.
It is tragic that it took the
death of Mr. Seraw before the
city was willing to take action.
Even after Commissioner Dick
Bogle successfully pushed to
have neo-nazi gangs included in
the
City/County
"Gang
Resolution", very little was
done to make sure that hate
groups did not violate the rights
of African-Americans, Jews
and people of color. Instead
there was a rentless focus on
gang activity in the Black com­
munity. This happened despite
the Black community's in­
sistence that the gang problem
was not merely a Black
problem.
Black Oregonians and many
white citizens are outraged at
Mr.
Seraw's
death.
Throughout
the
African-
Amerian community, Black
Oregonians are angry and de­
manding that justice be served
upon those responsible for this
brutal murder. It is obvious that
w o u ld pre fe r to sm ash the p res­
ent anti-w h ite, Z io n ist (Jew ),
p u p p et-ru n gov ern m en t w ith a
health y , new w hite m a n ’s or­
d e r!” A n o th e r in C hicago as­
serts: “ S kinheads o f A m erica,
like the d y nam ic skinheads in
E u ro p e, are w orking class A r­
yan youth. W e o p p o se the c a p i­
talist a n d c o m m u n ist scum that
are d e stro y in g o u r A ryan r a c e ...
the p arasitic Jew ish race is at the
h e a rt o f o u r p ro b le m .” T he
leaflet p roclaim s: “ O u r heads
are sh a v ed fo r b a ttle .”
British Origins
T h e s k in h e a d p h e n o m e n o n
o rig in a te d in E n g lan d , w here
gangs o f m en acin g -lo o k in g ,
sh av en -h ead ed an d tattooed
youths w earin g com bat boots
began to be seen in the streets in
the early 1970’s. T he style w as
m eant to sym bolize tough, patri­
otic, a n ti-im m ig ran t, w orking
class attitudes in contrast to the
supp o sed ly sissyish, pacifist,
liberal, m id d le-class view s o f
the long-hairs.
cials. O ne o f the m ajo r a ttrac ­
tions o f the sk inheads fo r young
people is their close association
w ith a type o f h a rd -d riv in g rock
m usic called “ w hite p o w e r”
music. The music - as well as the
B efore long several B ritish neo-
N azi groups realized the skin­
heads w ere recruitable and
began to enroll them . T he tactic
m o v em en t itse lf - o rig in a te d in
G reat B ritain, w here skinheads
are m ore n u m ero u s and have
b een lin k e d to n e o -fa s c is t
groups.
com e to view skinheads as neo-
T he ideology o f the A m erican
sk in h ead gangs is sim ilar to that
o f the B ritish variety: a brew o f
xenophobia, racial and religious
b igotry and an a ffin ity for N a­
zism .
In the U n ited States,
hardcore skinhead d o ctrin e is
m ore openly anti-Sem itic than it
is in B ritain. A leaflet d istrib ­
uted in C incinnati states: “ W e
m et w ith a good deal o f success
and the public has in creasingly
Nazis.
An additional ingredient in Brit-
ish-style sk in h ead ism has been
“ football h o o lig a n ism .”
V io ­
lence frequently seen at soccer
m atch es in the U .K . is p e rp e ­
trated by young toughs w h o the
skins have targ eted for rec ru it­
m ent. S kinheads w ere reported
to have b een in v o lv ed in the riot
at the 1985 B russels football
m atch betw een B ritain and
B elgium , w here 38 fans w ere
killed.
In Memory O f ...
That's one of the lessons of
Oregonians are not about to
Mr. Seraw's death. We don't
turn and run away from the
need
another one.
problem. They are going to
meet the challenge head on and
in most cases, without com­
promise. The death of Mr.
Seraw has pulled the com­
munity closer together. The
meaning of his life and the way it
was taken from him will live in
our hearts forever.
We implore the Black com­
munity to continue to demand
justice be served the killers of
Mr. Seraw. We implore the
We are shocked and dismay­
Black community to continue to
fight racism wherever it con­ ed at the senseless beating
death of Mulugeta Seraw, our
fronts them. But more impor­
relative, friend and country­
tantly, we implore all citizens of
Oregon to stand up and be coun­ man.
We have asked U.S. A tto r­
ted. We implore the white
ney, Charles Turner, to request
leadership of this State and the
that the FBI join in the investiga­
City of Portland to let it be
tion of this murder. We think it is
known that racism has no place
very possible that Mulugeta's
within the borders of any com­
murders are connected w ith
munity.
other
white
superemacist
We urge the Black com­
groups in America.
munity to continue to seek ways
We wish to thank all of those
to eliminate racism without
who have offered condolences
resorting to violence. But, we
and friendships. Many have
urge Black Oregonians to take
asked where to send money to
caution. W atch your back.
help the family. All checks
W atch each others' backs.
should be made out to Mulu­
Safeguard your homes, your
geta Seraw Memorial Fund,
children and your community
C /O Ethiopian Community Or­
from those who are determined
ganization, P.O. Box 8307,
to injure, hurt and even kill any
* Portland, Oregon97207.
Black
Oregonian
merely
Statement
From
Portland's
Ethiopian
Community
MULUGETASERAW
the anger is going to remain long
after the murderers have been
caught-that is, if they ever are.
The State of Oregon must
pay closer attention to what
Black Oregonians are saying
about Oregon's race problem.
The State of Oregon and the
City of Portland must do much
much more to stem the tide of
racism within its borders.
Having fought racism for
nore than 400 years, in
America and abroad, Black
S kinheads have also p ro v o k ed
v iolent street battles in L o ndon
and o th er cities against m inority
groups. S o -called “ P aki-bash-
in g ” (beating up the P akistanis
and o th er A sians) as w ell as fire
b o m bings o f hom es and shops
have led on occasio n to the a r­
rest a n d im p riso n m en t o f sk in ­
head activists.
lence describ es S krew driver as
“ an in stitution, a stance o f c o u r­
Skinhead Music
T he rock groups w ith w hich
skinheads in the U nited States
identify are m ostly B ritish, a l­
though there are a few A m e ri­
can bands w hose m usic they
favor. T h e lead in g B ritish sk in ­
head band (w hich A m erican
skins are hoping to to u r in the
U .S .) is S k rew d riv er, led by Ian
Stuart, a N a tio n a l F ront o rg a n ­
izer w ho w as o n ce sen ten ced to
a y e a r in p riso n fo r racist v io ­
lence. S m a rt's group publishes
a m agazine, W hite N oise, ow ns
a sm all reco rd in g co m p an y , and
perio d ically sponsors a W hite
N oise festival w here hundreds
o f sk in h ead g ath er to hear bands
from several E uropean c o u n ­
tries. S tu a rt’s view s are se tfo rth
in the M arch 19, 1984 issue o f
T h e S p o tlig h t, pu b lish ed by the
W ash in g to n , D .C . - based anti-
Jew ish L iberty L obby:
‘ 7 am
n o t th e type o f p e r ­
son to creep and crawl to a
bu n ch o f w eak-kneed,
p a c ifis t lefties a n d two-
fa c e d Z io n ists. O ne m u st
be h o n e st to p e o p le a b o u t
o n e ’s b eliefs a n d e sp e ­
c ia lly w hen the su rviva l
o f o u r race is a t stake. ’ ’
A m ong the g ro u p ’s reco rd in g s
are singles w ith titles such as
“ W h ite P o w e r ,” “ N ig g e r,
N ig g e r,” and “ P riso n er o f
Peace (Rudolph H ess).” A flyer
c ircu lated by R om antic V io ­
► • •
age, determ in atio n , loyalty,
h o n o r and a w ill to w in .” O th e r
B ritish skinhead bands are:
B rutal A ttack, Skullhead, Prim e
S uspects, S udden Im pact, and
the S cottish group B ritish S tan­
dard.
S k in h ead bands e lse ­
w here in E u ro p e are the S w ed­
ish group U ltim ath u le, F ra n c e ’s
B rutal C om bat, and the G erm an
g roup B ohse O nkelz.
C h ic a g o ’s S k in h e a d s
T h e C hicago area skinheads
first su rfaced in 1984, w hen
R om antic V iolence, th en -o p er­
ating from a p o st office box in
C icero , beg an prom oting its
“ D e a th ’s H ead M uscle T-
S h irt.” (C h ic a g o ’s skinheads
a lso op erate u n d e r the acronym
C A S H , for “ C hicag o A rea
S k in h e a d s .” )
P ro m o tio n a l
flyers in cluded pictures o f jack -
b o o te d N a z i-y o u th .
The
g ro u p ’s leader, 27 -y ear-o ld
C lark R eid M artell, w as ar­
re ste d that S ep tem b er in O ak
P ark fo r pain tin g sw astikas on
villag e pro p erty . A t the tim e,
M artell w as also active in local
n eo-N azi activities and d id c a r­
toon w ork fo r the pub licatio n o f
the C h icag o -b ased A m erican
Nazi Party. Previously, in 1979,
he w as co n v icted and sen­
ten c e d to fo u r years in p riso n for
a ttem p tin g to co m m it a g g ra ­
v ated arson against an H ispanic
victim.
C rim in al c h arg es are cu rren tly
pen d in g ag ain st M artell fo r a
long series o f p ersonal crim es.
In 1986, M artell told an assem ­
bly o f w hite rac ist leaders from
aro u n d the co u n try that his
g ro u p “ stands fo r w a re ,” a d d ­
ing: “ 1 am a v io len t person. I
love the w hite race, and i f you
love som ething, y o u ’re the m ost
vicious person on earth. ’’
M artell w as arrested by A nn
A rb o r police in M arch, 1987 at a
rally in w hich y o u thful neo-
N azis b elo n g in g p rim arily to
D e tro it’s sm all self-sty led SS-
A ction G roup b ran d ish ed sw as­
tik a shields.
A s the group
m arch ed and sh outed “ w hite
p o w e r” slogans on the steps o f
the F ederal B uilding, M artell
rep o rted ly b lo o d ied the face o f
a c o u n te r d e m o n stra to r w ith his
shield.
R om antic V iolence has o ffered
fo r sale cassettes o f E n g la n d ’s
sk in h ead band S k rew driver,
along w ith U .S . groups c a lled
W h ite P ride an d U .S . C haos. It
has also p ro m o ted a h o m e ­
g row n band w h ich calls its e lf -
un ab ash ed ly - “ the F in al S o lu ­
tio n ,” d e scrib ed as “ a new
breed o f h eroes (w ho) have
sp ru n g fro m the m id w este m
soil, brave sk in h ead p atrio ts
rea d y to fig h t fo r race a n d n a ­
tion.”
E m p h a siz in g its E nglish c o n ­
nection, R om antic V iolence
touts a form o f w hite p o w e r ro ck
k n o w n as “ O i” (a C o ck n ey
greetin g ), w hich it d escrib es as
“ nothing like Punk-R ock, Hard-
C ore or H eavy M etal. O i is for
W arriors. ” A nother flyer circu-
lated by the group describ es
“ O i” as “ m u sic to rio t b y .”
M artell is rep o rted to be w o rk ­
ing to p rom ote a m id w estem
tour by an A m erican O i group
c a lled D oc M arten.
Other Midwest Gangs
T w o o th e rsk in h e a d groups w ith
a sem b lan ce o f o rg an ized stru c­
ture are lo cated in the C in cin n ati
and D etro it m etro p o litan areas.
T he C in c in n a ti-b a se d W hite
A m erican Skin H ead s (W A S H )
is lead by 19-year-old M ike
L ew is. L ew is, w ho w as active
w ith the C hicago skinheads
before m oving to C incinnati last
spring, has g ain ed a m easure o f
p u b lic ity fo r his g roup by ru n ­
ning a recru itin g adv ertisem en t
on the b ulletin board o f a local
pu b lic access television ch a n ­
nel.
“ We Are Racial”
M ore lo o sely -o rg an ized skin­
h e a d groups w ith neo-N azi
lean in g s are also o p erating in
the S an F ran cisco B ay area, and
in c e n tral F lo rid a, P ortland, Los
A n geles, D allas, and D enver.
D ave M azella, a young San
F ra n cisc o skinhead affiliated
w ith W A R ’S youth arm , the
A ryan Y outh M ovem ent, d e ­
scribes skinheads as the g ro u p ’s
“ fron t-lin e w a rrio rs.” T he Bay
area w as the scene in July, 1987
o f an ugly rac ial incid en t in
w hich a 5 4 -y ear-o ld black
w om an was acco sted by four
skinheads near a San Jose park.
A ccording to the w om an, one
told h er “ niggers pay to ll” and
an o th er added “ w e ’re going to
string you up in that tre e .”
K enneth L am ar A llen, 20, w as
c h a rg e d w ith attem p ted ro b b ery
and false im p riso n m en t. F ro m
his ja il cell A llen, a se lf-d e ­
scrib ed neo-N azi, to ld re p o rt­
ers, “ W e are racial and she w as
b lack ... W e ’re in to w h ite s u ­
prem acy.”
M em b ers o f a n o th e r B ay are
s k in h e a d g ro u p k n o w n as
B A S H o p e ra te in the H aig h t-
A sh b u ry d istric t an d are led by
T e rry S arg en t. T h e y h av e d is ­
trib u ted flyers p ro m o tin g C hi-
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