NCJ Number
123017
Date Published
1988
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report by the Anti-Defamation League describes the increase in ranks of Neo-Nazi Skinheads in the United States in 1987 and 1988, which has been paralleled by an increase in violent crimes including two homicides; numerous shootings, beatings, and stabbings, mostly directed against minority group members; and numbers of vandalisms of synagogues and other Jewish institutions.
Abstract
These Skinheads have close associations with old-line hate groups in the U.S., and have helped boost the morale and activity level of other white supremacist organizations including the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the White Aryan Resistance (WAR). WAR, the organization with the closest ties to Skinheads, has promoted its bigotry through computer networks, cable TV, and national television talk-shows. WAR's leader, Tom Metzger, encourages Skinheads to engage in violence under the rubric of "self-defense." Metzger appeals to Skinheads through his militant tone, verbal threats against governmental authority, harangues against perceived enemies, and enunciation of a "white working class" ideology. The youth arms of WAR, Aryan Youth Movement (AYM), directs its efforts toward high school and college students. Skinheads are affiliated with KKK factions across the country and often serve as security guards at KKK rallies. Skinhead violence in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin is described. However, Skinhead activity is evident in at least 21 States, and regional groups are slowly forming a loose national network with the help of more established leaders to publicize these efforts. In some areas, quick and effective law enforcement response has reduced the Skinheads profile and level of activity.