Monday, April 14, 2014

SPLC chairman after Overland Park murders: Fighting hate, teaching tolerance vital

(The following op-ed piece was submitted by Richard Cohen, chairman of the Southern Poverty Law Center.)

Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones in the shootings that left three dead at a Jewish community center and retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas. We feel a special connection to them because we know the killer well.

His name is Frazier Glenn Miller, and he once plotted to assassinate my colleague Morris Dees.

Miller was the leader of a notorious neo-Nazi organization in the 1980s that was stockpiling weapons and training for a race war. His blueprint was a book called The Turner Diaries, a racist manifesto that also inspired the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 men, women, and children.

After Miller was convicted on criminal contempt charges in a case we brought, he went underground, declared “war” on the government, and offered a white supremacist bounty on Morris’ head. Luckily for us, he was caught and went to prison. Unfortunately, for the people of Overland Park, he was sentenced to only three years.

We’ve been contacted by the authorities and are sharing everything we know about Miller. But the sad truth is that there are other Millers out there – people with hate in their hearts who are willing to kill innocent people in the name of their race.

This sad truth is one of the reasons why our work fighting hate, teaching tolerance, and seeking justice is still so vital. I wish it were otherwise.

Thank you for standing with us.

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