Dangerous Convictions for PDF - ADL

Dangerous
Convictions:
AN INTRODUCTION TO EXTREMIST ACTIVITIES IN PRISONS
home for dinner.” Through stories like this, white supremacists encourage an
atmosphere of racial strife and fear. Stories of white inmates victimized while
in prison are reported on a regular basis in an effort to promote the idea that
whites in general and whites in prison specifically are a group under attack.
Groups without publications resort to other means of raising support for prisoners.
The white power music distributor Vinland Records, based in San
Diego, holds The Order in particularly high esteem. It even launched a
fundraiser for the group, because “few have attempted what these brave patriots
began.” Vinland used its Web site to publicize the project and posted
announcements about it to many white supremacist Internet discussion lists.
Other groups have also found the Internet a useful way to honor extremists they
see as political prisoners. “Militantskinbyrd,” a self-described 20-year-old white
woman, is the creator of the “Save John W. King” Web site. Describing King
as a “proud, white Southern Aryan POW,” the site exhorts readers to action
before King is executed and “our precious right to the exercise of political and
religious freedom will die with him.” A letter, allegedly written by King, appears
on the site asking for monetary contributions to his “defense and relief fund”
through which he hopes to “obtain documentary evidence and the basic necessities
needed to effectively challenge my conviction and death sentence.”
Militia and “patriot” prisoners such as John Pitner and Brad Metcalfe have
also been the subject of specific support Web pages or campaigns. Often such
campaigns attempt to raise money for the families of imprisoned extremists.
One Michigan Web site, for example, asks people to “Help out a true Patriot!”
It sells T-shirts promoting the gun rights group The Tyranny Response Team
(the T-shirts, stealing from the “Got Milk?” advertising campaign, ask “Got
Rope?”), and promises that $3 from every order will go to the wife of imprisoned
Michigan militia leader Mark Koernke to help her out with expenses.
Other Web sites also solicited support for Koernke’s wife, Nancy, while more
supporters used the Internet to help organize rallies for Koernke.
In addition to hate groups and anti-government groups, other far-right
movements have also mounted campaigns on the Internet to support their
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