Neo-Nazi leader, member jailed on parole violations
By Chris Conrad
Mail Tribune
April 30, 2009 6:00 AM
The leader of a statewide National Socialist Movement group based in Phoenix and a fellow member were arrested Wednesday on parole violations stemming from past felonies.
Andrew Lee Patterson, 30, is on parole until November 2011 for attacking two homeless men and an East Indian motel owner in 2003. According to court records, during the homeless attack he called the men ''a disgrace to the white race."
Though it was not immediately available why Patterson was jailed Wednesday, he was ordered not to have any contact or association with gang members or be involved in any gang activity. In addition, he was barred from possessing any gang-related paraphernalia which advocates hate or violence toward others
Patterson made news last week when he agreed to an interview with the Mail Tribune during which he described his neo-Nazi beliefs, which include holocaust denial and demanding illegal immigrants be deported so the white race does not become extinct.
During an interview with a Mail Tribune reporter last week, he suggested that his parole officer most likely was going to place him in jail for having contact with other neo-Nazis.
Patterson and a small group of followers held Nazi-themed flags Sunday along Main Street in Phoenix. More than 100 people lined the street across from the neo-Nazis in protest.
Also jailed was 22-year-old Levi Dale Lucas, a convicted sex offender. Lucas was stopped by police April 20 as he and other members distributed fliers in the parking lot of Red Robin in honor of Hilter's birthday. No laws were violated, but police worried about the possibility of violence. Lucas has convictions for first-degree sexual abuses, failure to register as a sex offender and criminal mischief.
The Southern Poverty and Law Center points to the national immigration debate, the worsening recession, and Barack Obama's presidency as having fueled recent growth in the number of hate groups in America.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report warning that right-wing extremist groups, including white supremacists, have boosted recruiting and mobilizing efforts.
Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471; or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.
TO ORIGINAL STORY
Silence = Acceptance. We must never be silent when it comes to racism, bigotry, discrimination, or the right-wing agenda.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Dukester Got Popped
TO ORIGINAL STORY
Prague - The Czech police arrested David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan racist movement, in Prague today on suspicion of promotion of movements seeking suppression of human rights, Prague police spokesman told CTK.
Arriving in the Czech Republic at the invitation of local neo-Nazis, Duke was to give lectures in Prague and Brno.
Duke, a U.S. citizen, is suspected of denying or approving of the Nazi genocide and other Nazi crimes. This crime is punishable by up to three years in prison in the Czech Republic.
According to an Internet text signed by Filip Vavra, who is linked to the neo-Nazi National Resistance group, Duke has visited the Czech Republic in order to promote his book My Awakening.
Czech lawyer Klara Kalibova said some passages of the book can be interpreted as an effort at justifying or challenging the Holocaust.
Czech police are reportedly focusing on the book as well.
Duke was to give three lectures in the Czech Republic. The first was to take place at Prague's Charles University, but the university has banned it.
The other two lectures were to be held in the centre of Prague on Saturday and in Brno, capital of Moravia, on Sunday, according to the website presenting Duke's visit.
Some Czech politicians assessed Duke's visit negatively earlier this week. Disapproving stand in this respect has been expressed by Interior Minister Ivan Langer and Human Rights and Minorities Minister Michael Kocab.
Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz
Prague - The Czech police arrested David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan racist movement, in Prague today on suspicion of promotion of movements seeking suppression of human rights, Prague police spokesman told CTK.
Arriving in the Czech Republic at the invitation of local neo-Nazis, Duke was to give lectures in Prague and Brno.
Duke, a U.S. citizen, is suspected of denying or approving of the Nazi genocide and other Nazi crimes. This crime is punishable by up to three years in prison in the Czech Republic.
According to an Internet text signed by Filip Vavra, who is linked to the neo-Nazi National Resistance group, Duke has visited the Czech Republic in order to promote his book My Awakening.
Czech lawyer Klara Kalibova said some passages of the book can be interpreted as an effort at justifying or challenging the Holocaust.
Czech police are reportedly focusing on the book as well.
Duke was to give three lectures in the Czech Republic. The first was to take place at Prague's Charles University, but the university has banned it.
The other two lectures were to be held in the centre of Prague on Saturday and in Brno, capital of Moravia, on Sunday, according to the website presenting Duke's visit.
Some Czech politicians assessed Duke's visit negatively earlier this week. Disapproving stand in this respect has been expressed by Interior Minister Ivan Langer and Human Rights and Minorities Minister Michael Kocab.
Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
BOGUS IS BUSTED
The man who causes earthquakes, has an army of skinheads at the ready, single-handedly got away with killing five Mexicans and deep sixing them, faked his own heart attack, caused attorney Mona Montgomery great anguish as he lay for hours injured in his driveway in subzero weather, fleeced his white supremacist buddies out of thousands for years, and proffered the hoax that Obama had given China Emminent Domain, captured another 5 minutes of fame - and then he got caught.
Now, getting caught isn't anything alien to Hal Turner - it happens all the time. This time, however, this time he got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar - dead to right.
TO SCOTT JAGOW'S REPORT
You know, this pathetic little man is so desperate for attention that he will try anything to get it. This time it worked for a little while. But now that he has been found to be a fraudulent little twerp, he will, once more, be a laughing stock. Hopefully, the media will now be responsible enough to check what they are reporting before real harm is done.
Now, getting caught isn't anything alien to Hal Turner - it happens all the time. This time, however, this time he got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar - dead to right.
TO SCOTT JAGOW'S REPORT
You know, this pathetic little man is so desperate for attention that he will try anything to get it. This time it worked for a little while. But now that he has been found to be a fraudulent little twerp, he will, once more, be a laughing stock. Hopefully, the media will now be responsible enough to check what they are reporting before real harm is done.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
RIGHT WING EXTREMISM THREAT
TO ORIGINAL SOURCE
by Mark Silva
Homeland Security has detected a new threat: "Rightwing Extremism.''
The report of the federal agency issued earlier this month warns police agencies of an "economic and political climate'' that is "fueling'' a "resurgence in radicalization and recruitment.''
The assessment is one of many that the federal agency provides to local, state and federal police agencies with a goal of helping them deter, preempt or respond to terrorist attacks: Homeland Security report.pdf
But in this case, even while reporting that the Department of Homeland Security "has no specific information'' that any rightwing terrorists are planning any violence,'' the agency warns that they "may be gaining recruits by playing on their fears'' about several "emergent issues.''
Among those issues: "The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president,'' the state of the economy and illegal immigration. Add to all that the return of military veterans having trouble "reintegrating into their communities.''
The growth of rightwing terrorist and extremist groups subsided in the face of increased government scrutiny after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the federal building, the agency notes. But now, in fear of passage of new restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities,'' terrorist groups or "lone-wolf extremists'' could be newly motivated.
The report points to the recent shooting of three police officers in Pittsburgh - "the alleged gunman's reaction reportedly was influenced by racist ideology and belief in anti-government conspiracy theories related to gun confiscations'' and other threats.
"Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, perceived loss of U.S. jobs... and home foreclosures,'' the report notes. And anti-Semitic extremists attribute all this to "a cabal of Jewish 'financial elites.'
This sort of accusatory tactic is used to draw new recruits into rightwing extremist groups, DHS says.
The agency says it will be working with state and local agencies over the next several months to gain some "greater specificity'' on the rise of these rightwing extremists.
TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY REPORT
by Mark Silva
Homeland Security has detected a new threat: "Rightwing Extremism.''
The report of the federal agency issued earlier this month warns police agencies of an "economic and political climate'' that is "fueling'' a "resurgence in radicalization and recruitment.''
The assessment is one of many that the federal agency provides to local, state and federal police agencies with a goal of helping them deter, preempt or respond to terrorist attacks: Homeland Security report.pdf
But in this case, even while reporting that the Department of Homeland Security "has no specific information'' that any rightwing terrorists are planning any violence,'' the agency warns that they "may be gaining recruits by playing on their fears'' about several "emergent issues.''
Among those issues: "The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president,'' the state of the economy and illegal immigration. Add to all that the return of military veterans having trouble "reintegrating into their communities.''
The growth of rightwing terrorist and extremist groups subsided in the face of increased government scrutiny after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the federal building, the agency notes. But now, in fear of passage of new restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities,'' terrorist groups or "lone-wolf extremists'' could be newly motivated.
The report points to the recent shooting of three police officers in Pittsburgh - "the alleged gunman's reaction reportedly was influenced by racist ideology and belief in anti-government conspiracy theories related to gun confiscations'' and other threats.
"Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, perceived loss of U.S. jobs... and home foreclosures,'' the report notes. And anti-Semitic extremists attribute all this to "a cabal of Jewish 'financial elites.'
This sort of accusatory tactic is used to draw new recruits into rightwing extremist groups, DHS says.
The agency says it will be working with state and local agencies over the next several months to gain some "greater specificity'' on the rise of these rightwing extremists.
TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY REPORT
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Heart-Wrenching From All Different Aspects
CLEVELAND - The return of alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk to Germany for trial on war crimes was delayed again Tuesday by a federal court, shortly after six immigration officers removed the retired autoworker from his suburban Cleveland home in a wheelchair.
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay until it could further consider Demjanjuk's motion to reopen the U.S. case that ordered him deported, in which he says painful medical ailments would make travel to Germany torturous.
An arrest warrant in Germany claims Demjanjuk was an accessory to some 29,000 deaths during World War II at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Once in Germany, he could be formally charged in court.
Citing the need to act because of the possibility of Demjanjuk's imminent deportation, the court issued the stay without addressing the U.S. government's argument that the court had no jurisdiction to rule on Demjanjuk's appeal.
Former son-in-law and family spokesman Ed Nishnic said the family was relieved the stay was granted.
"We're delighted. We're prepared to make our arguments with the 6th Circuit, and it's just a shame that Mr. Demjanjuk had to go through the hell that he went through once again this morning," he said as he walked into a federal building in Cleveland where Demjanjuk was being held.
It was unclear whether Demjanjuk would be returned to his home in Seven Hills.
As Demjanjuk's wheelchair was loaded into a van at their home, his wife, Vera, sobbed and held her hands to her mouth. As the van moved down the street, Vera turned and waved, sobbing in the arms of a granddaughter.
Several family members, including a 10-year-old grandson, were in the home when the officers removed Demjanjuk.
Nishnic said Demjanjuk, a native of Ukraine, told his family, "I love you," in Ukrainian and was aware that the officers were there to take him to Germany.
Nishnic said his former father-in-law moaned in pain as he was placed in the wheelchair.
"It was horrendous. He was in such pain. I wouldn't want to see anyone go through something like that," said granddaughter Olivia Nishnic, 20.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Trial Could Spark National Conversation
TO ORIGINAL SOURCE
WELD COUNTY - The prosecution says it is a hate crime against a transgender woman. The defense is expected to argue it was justified because the accused was misled about the victim's sexuality.
Angie Zapata was 18 years old when she was brutally killed in Greeley on July 17, 2008. Angie was born "Justin" but became transgender in her teenage years.
Police say Zapata was killed in her apartment by 31-year-old Allen Ray Andrade. They say Andrade admitted to police that he and Zapata met online and then set up a date.
According to court documents, he told investigators he was at her place when the relationship became physical and he found out Zapata was anatomically a man - then beat Zapata with a fire extinguisher.
A judge threw out a confession made by Andrade after the murder because he had clearly stated he was done making statements 40 minutes into a 2-hour-long interrogation. The judge also ruled the defense will not be allowed to present evidence that Andrade is a gang member.
The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Weld County. Andrade is accused of murder with a biased motivation. In other words: a hate crime. It is expected to lead to a national conversation about hate crimes.
"This is a highly unusual case and because of the gender issues involved, I anticipate a lot of publicity, a lot of national attention," 9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson said.
Mindy Barton, the legal director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado, says she anticipates a verdict which will have a far-reaching impact.
"Our anticipation is that this will have a landmark kind of decision that comes out of it," Barton said. "Hate crimes throughout Colorado are not terribly reported and in this instance, this will be the first one that we know of that will be prosecuted under the hate crime law in Colorado protecting transgender people."
Barton says Colorado was the first state with a hate crime law on the books in the United States in 1988.
"We worked for years to be able to add sexual orientation and transgender protection in 2005," Barton said.
According to Barton, in order to prove it was a bias motivated crime, the prosecution will have to show Andrade intended to commit the crime against Zapata because of her transgender status.
"The defense will want to keep a low profile, but they have no choice but to use the basis, the motive of the slaying, and hope that the jury will accept that learning the truth infuriated the accused," Robinson said.
Robinson added: "The prosecution will have to remind the jurors that this case is not about sexual preference. This case is about a homicide and whether it is justifiable or not."
Barton thinks the defense will try to blame the victim in this case.
"What they're tying to do in this instance again is blame the victim who's no longer here to be able to tell her side of the story," Barton said.
The organization ProgressNow has started an ad campaign running spots that say "End Hate" on sites such as Facebook and Twitter in hopes of raising awareness about the case. They say they are not running the ads in Weld County however, because they don't want to contaminate a potential jury pool.
WELD COUNTY - The prosecution says it is a hate crime against a transgender woman. The defense is expected to argue it was justified because the accused was misled about the victim's sexuality.
Angie Zapata was 18 years old when she was brutally killed in Greeley on July 17, 2008. Angie was born "Justin" but became transgender in her teenage years.
Police say Zapata was killed in her apartment by 31-year-old Allen Ray Andrade. They say Andrade admitted to police that he and Zapata met online and then set up a date.
According to court documents, he told investigators he was at her place when the relationship became physical and he found out Zapata was anatomically a man - then beat Zapata with a fire extinguisher.
A judge threw out a confession made by Andrade after the murder because he had clearly stated he was done making statements 40 minutes into a 2-hour-long interrogation. The judge also ruled the defense will not be allowed to present evidence that Andrade is a gang member.
The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Weld County. Andrade is accused of murder with a biased motivation. In other words: a hate crime. It is expected to lead to a national conversation about hate crimes.
"This is a highly unusual case and because of the gender issues involved, I anticipate a lot of publicity, a lot of national attention," 9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson said.
Mindy Barton, the legal director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado, says she anticipates a verdict which will have a far-reaching impact.
"Our anticipation is that this will have a landmark kind of decision that comes out of it," Barton said. "Hate crimes throughout Colorado are not terribly reported and in this instance, this will be the first one that we know of that will be prosecuted under the hate crime law in Colorado protecting transgender people."
Barton says Colorado was the first state with a hate crime law on the books in the United States in 1988.
"We worked for years to be able to add sexual orientation and transgender protection in 2005," Barton said.
According to Barton, in order to prove it was a bias motivated crime, the prosecution will have to show Andrade intended to commit the crime against Zapata because of her transgender status.
"The defense will want to keep a low profile, but they have no choice but to use the basis, the motive of the slaying, and hope that the jury will accept that learning the truth infuriated the accused," Robinson said.
Robinson added: "The prosecution will have to remind the jurors that this case is not about sexual preference. This case is about a homicide and whether it is justifiable or not."
Barton thinks the defense will try to blame the victim in this case.
"What they're tying to do in this instance again is blame the victim who's no longer here to be able to tell her side of the story," Barton said.
The organization ProgressNow has started an ad campaign running spots that say "End Hate" on sites such as Facebook and Twitter in hopes of raising awareness about the case. They say they are not running the ads in Weld County however, because they don't want to contaminate a potential jury pool.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Okay - here I go with another rant. I try - I really do try - not to go off on this kind of tirade. But, when I've had enough, I really can't help myself and today I've had enough.
Does anyone ever get tired of the racist right crying and whining about the white race and its' plight? I damned sure do. Aren't you just sick of hearing about white rights and how whites are so oppressed? I mean, it has been run into the ground. I have been telling them for years to get some new material. You would think that with all of that superior genetic material they could come up with something more original, huh?
But alas! Over and over they just torture me with all of their suffering and pathos concerning what is the foreseeable lot of the white race. Well...they get no pity from me - not one damned ounce of sympathy. I say that because I think they are so caught up in their own pathetic groveling for sympathy that they have become completely pathological - the whole damnable movement!
You know what's really bad for the white race? White people, that's who. White people who believe themselves to be superior to all other races and do absoslutely stupid things proving their lack of superior intellect or anything else. White people who stand on the steps of state capitols waving Nazi flags and spewing vitriolic hatred while being flanked on both sides by pudgy little men wearing sheets and pointy hats all the while thinking they are being profound. White people who post on internet message boards using the "N" word and the "K" word, calling each other faggots and Jews and government agents. White people who claim to be "saving the white race" while bilking those stupid enough to contribute out of their hard-earned money. White people who cart their children out into the country to watch a bunch of drunks fighting with each other and hear a bunch of foul-mouthed leaders making speeches about white virtue and family values.
Thanks to these white people, the rest of us - who make up the majority - have been labeled and stereotyped by others as red-necks, inbreds, ignorant racists and bigots. Well...not quite...but we're getting there. The so-called leaders of this so-called movement really piss me off and someone really needs to clue them in to the fact that they don't speak for white people. They only speak for a miniscule number of cretins who are too paranoid and insecure to speak or even think for themselves.
Then there are those insidious little bastards who decide to run for office - I mean like the President of the United States of America! You know the ones I'm talking about - the "white people's candidates." You know the ones I mean. They call themselves "American Patriots" and then liken themselves to Adolf Hitler. Yeah...that's a real turn on.
One of those "super-heroes" can be found right now posting over on VNN. Of course, he was running his pathetic little scam on a lot of other internet sites that he has long since been booted off of. VNN is just about the only place he has left to light. His "campaign" may be the shortest in history. To John "de" Nugent (you see he added that little "de" to make him seem more "European-American) the world is made up of primarily "psychopaths" and he is going to provide the masses with his recipe for lithium.
Now, this sniveling little racist fraud gauges his success on the number of times some unkown and curious person clicks on a thread started by him. I kid you not. How's that for "white superiority"? It's called surfing you freaking idiot! And just because someone points a cursor and clicks on something you have written doesn't mean that they actually have read it! And even if they DID take the time to read your disjointed and incohernet whinigs and driveling doesn't mean they like you!
Oh! And don't anyone DARE insinuate that this miserable little creep might be homosexual! Oh! The histrionics! Talk about getting your panties in a wad - this guy invented the phrase!
These people are really bad for the white race. This is the real "anti-white" behavior.
As Americans we all pretty much want the same things and, for many, keeping a roof over our heads, food on the table, and the lights on pretty much takes up a lot of our time. The majority of Americans really don't care about what the nuts on the fringe of society are doing unless it interferes with their pursuit of happiness. And, as far as "white supremacy" goes - most people don't get it. Maybe that's because there isn't anything to "get."
I mean...how seriously can you take these people when one of their favorite discussions is "Should women have the right to vote?" They actually run online polls about this! Or - "How do I get my girlfriend to become a Nazi?" How about, "Why can't a thirty-something man marry a 14-year-old girl?" This is how they spend their time - they're such productive citizens, dontcha know.
Of course, any salient points that I might have made in this harangue will be met with the usual blusterings of my being a ZOG agent and just a "tool of Jew" in a vast conspiracy against "white culture" - whatever in the hell that is. But, it felt good to point out a little of the preposterous nature of the whole "this is bad for white people" argument proffered by the racist right.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
TRAGIC INSTABILITY
This is truly a sad, sad story. A good-looking 22-year-old kid kisses his life good-bye and takes the lives of three good men with him. He couldn't make it in school. He couldn't make it in the military. He failed in a relationship. He couldn't even make it in his own mother's house. On top of that, he has a stockpile of weapons and ammo, sells them online, believes the paranoid rantings of right-wing lunatics and tells his friends - yet no one saw him as a loose cannon. This is truly a tragedy.
Who Is Richard Poplawski?
Friends, Family Talk About Pittsburgh Suspect In Police Officers' Triple-Killing
POSTED: 6:17 pm EDT April 4, 2009
UPDATED: 3:13 pm EDT April 5, 2009
PITTSBURGH -- The man accused of fatally shooting three Pittsburgh police officers and injuring two others was alternately described by friends as "an easygoing, fun-loving guy" and a known gun enthusiast who was prepared to die after he woke up on a bright spring Saturday morning.
Between volleys of gunfire at his Stanton Heights home, Richard "Pop" Poplawski, 22, was apparently calling friends and family.
"He just told my nephew, Billy, that he was shot twice -- one in the arm, once in the leg," aunt Marianne Klimczyk told WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo. "He just told him to tell everybody that 'I love them' because he didn't think that he was going to get out of there alive."
Childhood friend Edward Perkovic said he spoke to Poplawski via telephone at about 8:30 a.m.
"What he said to me today was, 'Eddie, I'm going to die today. Tell your family I love them and I love you.' And I heard gunshots and he hung up the phone," Perkovic said. "This was a complete surprise to me and my family and everyone's families that were friends with him. Nobody ever expected something like this from him."
Perkovic said Poplawski feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon."
"He wasn't involved in any gangs, any militias. He believed in his right to bear arms. He believed that hard economic times were going to put forward gun bans," Perkovic said.
Suspect Owned Several Guns, Supply Of Ammunition
Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper said Poplawski was armed with a high-powered assault rifle and a pistol, and he had a significant amount of ammunition as he allegedly fired out of his bedroom window on Fairfield Street.
According to the police criminal complaint obtained by WTAE Channel 4 Action News on Sunday, Poplawski's mother said her son has been "stockpiling guns and ammunition, buying and selling the weapons online because he believed that as a result of economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society."
Poplawski's mother said her son enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps a few years ago but was discharged for assaulting a drill sergeant in basic training. Since his discharge, Poplawski's mother said her son had been stockpiling weapons, according to the criminal complaint.
"He wasn't fully a Marine. He got a dishonorable discharge out of boot camp," Perkovic said. "He wanted to get out of the Marine Corps."
Poplawski's mother also said her son has been "stockpiling guns and ammunition, buying and selling the weapons online because he believed that as a result of economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society."
According to the criminal complaint, Poplawski's mother said her son "only liked police when they were not curtailing his constitutional rights, which he was determined to protect."
"He has a few weapons. I know he has a machine gun, I know he has a couple rifles and I know he has a couple handguns…They're recreational, and for deer hunting and for everything. I mean, he's not a bad kid," Klimczyk said.
A posting on what was believed to be Poplawski's MySpace Web page said, "I spread my secrets out. Everybody knows something, but nobody knows everything. Some could call me crazy. My answer would be that at least I insist to exist."
The page, which was removed by MySpace in the afternoon, included a photo of Poplawski and a description in which he called himself reasonably intelligent and well-spoken, with a wild life ahead, saying that the world is his oyster.
Team 4 Uncovers Documents Illustrating Poplawski's Past
WTAE Channel 4 found court documents indicating a protection from abuse order and disorderly conduct, but no major criminal violations in Poplawski's history.
"He was just an easygoing, fun-loving guy, telling jokes," Jeff Loffler said. "Everybody knew him. He was just the kind of guy who you could have a conversation with even if you didn't know him."
One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said, "He personally threatened my stepdaughter, and chased her through the neighborhood."
“This kid's nothing but trouble,” the neighbor said.
Poplawski is charged with three counts of criminal homicide -- relating to the shootings of officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo III and Stephen Mayhle -- and a count of aggravated assault against Officer Timothy McManaway, who suffered a hand wound.
"I apologize to the families and the police officers that are there to serve and protect us, that they lost their lives, but I don't want the stories about my nephew to be told the wrong way," Klimczyk said.
_____________________________
In yet another turn of events, it was made public today that this young man had been influenced by other factors:
TO ORIGINAL STORY
Suspect in officers' shooting was into conspiracy theories
Sunday, April 05, 2009
By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MySpaceRichard Poplawski's photo from mySpace.Richard Andrew Poplawski was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.
His online profile suggests someone at once lonely and seething. He wrote of burning the backs of both of his hands, the first time with a cigarette, the second time for symmetry. He subscribed to conspiracy theories and, by January 2007, was posting photographs of his tattoos on white supremacist Web site Stormfront. Among his ambitions: "to accumulate enough 'I punched that [expletive] so hard' stories to match my old man."
"Crazy to me is going through the motions," he wrote on his MySpace profile three years ago. "Crazy to me is letting each day slip past you. Crazy is being insignificant. Crazy is being obscure, pointless."
No longer obscure, the 22-year-old is charged in the worst police shooting in the modern history of Pittsburgh. No one is calling his actions anything but pointless.
"He was really into politics and really into the First and Second amendment. One thing he feared was he feared the gun ban because he thought that was going to take away peoples' right to defend themselves. He never spoke of going out to murder or to kill," said Edward Perkovic, who described himself as Mr. Poplawski's lifelong best friend.
Mr. Poplawski's view of guns and personal freedom took a turn toward the fringes of American politics. With Mr. Perkovic, he appeared to share a belief that the government was controlled from unseen forces, that troops were being shipped home from the Mideast to police the citizenry here, and that Jews secretly ran the country.
"We recently discovered that 30 states had declared sovereignty," said Mr. Perkovic, who lives in Lawrenceville. "One of his concerns was why were these major events in America not being reported to the public."
Believing most media were covering up important events, Mr. Poplawski turned to a far-right conspiracy Web site run by Alex Jones, a self-described documentarian with roots going back to the extremist militia movement of the early 1990s.
Around the same time, he joined Florida-based Stormfront, which has long been a clearinghouse Web site for far-right groups. He posted photographs of his tattoo, an eagle spread across his chest.
"I was considering gettin' life runes on the outside of my calfs," he wrote. Life runes are a common symbol among white supremacists, notably followers of The National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group linked to an array of violent organizations.
"For some time now there has been a pretty good connection between being sucked into this conspiracy world and propagating violence," said Heidi Beirich, director of research at the Southern Poverty Law Center and an expert on political extremists. She called Mr. Poplawski's act, "a classic example of what happens when you start buying all this conspiracy stuff."
Mr. Perkovic said Mr. Poplawski's parents had split when he was young.
"His dad's totally out of the picture," said Mr. Perkovic.
According to his MySpace profile online, Mr. Poplawski lived in Stanton Heights, was an avid Penguins fan, considered Mario Lemieux his hero, and held his grandmother, Catherine Poplawski, whom he called "Cukie," in warm esteem.
Mr. Perkovic said his friend essentially dropped out of North Catholic High School. Officials there would only say he was asked to leave.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- a day before Mr. Poplawski's birthday -- he decided to join the military, stopped going to classes and pursued a general educational development certificate.
"In boot camp he had missed his girlfriend so he had to make a decision ... he got himself dishonorably discharged so he could come back," Mr. Perkovic said.
According to Mr. Perkovic, Mr. Poplawski tossed a lunch tray at a drill instructor.
The relationship with his girlfriend, Melissa Gladish, went sour after Mr. Poplawski returned to Pittsburgh.
Court records show that on Sept. 14, 2005, Mr. Poplawski attacked Miss Gladish outside 1016 Fairfield St., the same address at which he would later be accused of killing the three police officers.
Miss Gladish said she had gone to Mr. Poplawski's house "and he began to argue with me and call me names. When I argued back he grabbed me by my hair and said, 'Do you think I'm going to let you talk to me like that? I don't let anyone talk to me like that."'
He threatened to kill her, the records show. In a form asking Miss Gladish to list all weapons Mr. Poplawski had used, she listed "gun that the defendant says is buried in the park near his house."
Less than a month later, police sought Mr. Poplawski for violating a protection-from-abuse order after he went to Miss Gladish's workplace, a King's Restaurant, and asked her to marry him. He then moved to the West Palm Beach, Fla., area. Mr. Perkovic said he worked there as a glazier for two years.
Two years later, back in Pittsburgh, Mr. Poplawski wrote on MySpace of the episode: "She's lucky I didn't kill that broad myself. Hahaha."
Dennis Roddy can be reached at droddy@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1965
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Unstable people being influenced by unstable groups of people generally end up tragically.
Friday, April 03, 2009
COMING IN APRIL
Just a preview of what the month of April has to offer here. Opening dates are tentative, so check back often with your favorite drink and lots of popcorn because it promises to be a star-studded month. Oh...and remember to keep it down to a dull roar in the comment section - be kind to your neighbor.
THE CRASS MENAGERIE
Starring: William Luther Pierce; David Duke; Billy Roper; Kevin Alfred Strom; Erich Gliebe; and special guest spots by such notables as... The Order; Richard Butler; Timothy McVeigh; and, of course, Mommy Dearest. 4/06/09
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE NAZI KIND
Starring: William Luther Pierce; Jared Taylor; Jesse Helms; Kirk Lyons; and cameo appearances by David Duke; Trent Lott; Kenny Knight; Wayne Lutton; Don Black; et.al. 4/09/09
A FISTFUL OF HATE
Starring: Mark Weber; Willis Carto; Wayne Lutton; John Tanton; J. Phillippe Rushton; David Irving; Kevin MacDonald; and various guest stars from the extremist right. 4/12/09
TO FINLAND WITH LOVE
Starring: Henrik Holappa; John de Nugent; David Duke; Bill Fox; Don Black; and a special appearance by Homeland Security! 4/13/09
THE DE NUGENT CODE
Starring: John de Nugent. The rest of the cast is just cursory and only serves as a backdrop for the "Man From the North." When you have de Nugent in a film there really isn't much rook for anyone else. You must see this documentary as the future of the white race and the United States depends solely upon him! 4/17/09
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER HATE
Starring: A spectacular array of Christians as you have never seen them before. This is a must see for all those who have never seen the bastardization of Christian beliefs. 4/25/09
As we said - a real blockbuster of a month heading your way.
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