Post by lowell on Apr 21, 2021 16:33:01 GMT -6
Will Carless, USA TODAY
Published 5:00 AM PDT Apr. 13, 2021 Updated 11:34 AM PDT Apr. 14, 2021
Published 5:00 AM PDT Apr. 13, 2021 Updated 11:34 AM PDT Apr. 14, 2021
"For decades, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have quietly kicked out some of the worst white supremacists in their ranks, offering them administrative discharges that leave no public record of their hateful activity, a USA TODAY review of Navy documents found.
The documents, obtained via a public records request by the open government advocacy group American Oversight, detail 13 major investigations into white supremacist activity in the Navy and Marine Corps over more than 20 years. They show a pattern in which military leaders chose to deal with personnel involved in extremism by dismissing them in ways that would not attract public attention."
Jacob Laskey
Take what happened to Edward Fix and Jacob Laskey.
In the early hours of Dec. 10, 2000, three white men left a neo-Nazi rally and headed to downtown Jacksonville, Florida. They were looking for a Black person to beat up, according to the Navy records.
On Main Street, they found John Joseph Newsome, 44. They beat him severely with their fists, boots and a broken bottle, shouting “Kill the n-----,” according to the documents.
Then they went looking for another victim.
The trio were soon arrested and charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and committing a hate crime. All three pleaded guilty to felonies and were sentenced to varying terms in the Duval County jail.
Fix and Laskey faced another investigation. They were enlisted members of the U.S. Navy, serving at nearby bases.
In the early hours of Dec. 10, 2000, three white men left a neo-Nazi rally and headed to downtown Jacksonville, Florida. They were looking for a Black person to beat up, according to the Navy records.
On Main Street, they found John Joseph Newsome, 44. They beat him severely with their fists, boots and a broken bottle, shouting “Kill the n-----,” according to the documents.
Then they went looking for another victim.
The trio were soon arrested and charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and committing a hate crime. All three pleaded guilty to felonies and were sentenced to varying terms in the Duval County jail.
Fix and Laskey faced another investigation. They were enlisted members of the U.S. Navy, serving at nearby bases.
The two sailors never faced military charges, which probably would have resulted in them being dishonorably discharged if they had been found guilty.
Instead, the Navy dismissed them via administrative discharges. Their only punishment from the Navy for almost beating a man to death in a racially motivated hate crime was to lose their jobs, documents show.
Fix and Laskey entered civilian life with barely a blot on their military record. Fix fared even better: Because he had cooperated with civilian prosecutors, the felony conviction never went on his record. "
Instead, the Navy dismissed them via administrative discharges. Their only punishment from the Navy for almost beating a man to death in a racially motivated hate crime was to lose their jobs, documents show.
Fix and Laskey entered civilian life with barely a blot on their military record. Fix fared even better: Because he had cooperated with civilian prosecutors, the felony conviction never went on his record. "
"13 investigations into white supremacy, no court-martials
The Navy records describe investigations into allegations of white supremacist assault, theft, verbal abuse, threats and gang crimes from 1997 to 2020.
One investigation involved members of a white supremacist gang called the “RRR” – an apparent nod to the Ku Klux Klan – who branded themselves with lighters and got in fights with nonwhite Marines.
In another case, a female sailor started one of the earliest online white supremacist message boards. She bragged about her top-secret security clearance while writing screeds about Hitler, Jews and Black people.
Not one of the 13 investigations resulted in a military trial, known as a court-martial, according to the documents. That's the only way a member of the military can receive what's called a 'punitive discharge' such as a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge."
The Navy records describe investigations into allegations of white supremacist assault, theft, verbal abuse, threats and gang crimes from 1997 to 2020.
One investigation involved members of a white supremacist gang called the “RRR” – an apparent nod to the Ku Klux Klan – who branded themselves with lighters and got in fights with nonwhite Marines.
In another case, a female sailor started one of the earliest online white supremacist message boards. She bragged about her top-secret security clearance while writing screeds about Hitler, Jews and Black people.
Not one of the 13 investigations resulted in a military trial, known as a court-martial, according to the documents. That's the only way a member of the military can receive what's called a 'punitive discharge' such as a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge."
"Some of the personnel received small fines or pay cuts. Most of the troops who were let go received a general discharge under honorable conditions, the most mild administrative discharge.
Besides the 13 cases, records for 10 were not released because they are being reviewed, said a spokeswoman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates felony-level criminal activity.
Most of the cases in the documents were never written about in the media. The names of Navy personnel are redacted, along with other identifying details. USA TODAY identified a few through other sources, but most remain anonymous.
What most of the accused white supremacists went on to do after leaving the Navy is unknown."
Besides the 13 cases, records for 10 were not released because they are being reviewed, said a spokeswoman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates felony-level criminal activity.
Most of the cases in the documents were never written about in the media. The names of Navy personnel are redacted, along with other identifying details. USA TODAY identified a few through other sources, but most remain anonymous.
What most of the accused white supremacists went on to do after leaving the Navy is unknown."
"Laskey became one of America's most violent and notorious neo-Nazis. At the time of the beating, he sported a chest tattoo of a swastika, according to the civilian prosecutor who handled his case.
Less than two years after the Navy let him go, Laskey was involved in an attack on a synagogue full of worshippers. He was convicted of throwing bricks etched with swastikas through the windows of the temple. After spending more than a decade in prison, he was released in 2018, then charged with assaulting and stabbing another neo-Nazi.
He was released in 2020, sporting a mask of facial tattoos including the words "white power" inked across his jawbone.
Laskey could not be reached for comment. Fix, whose last known address was in Rochester, New York, didn't respond to calls."
Less than two years after the Navy let him go, Laskey was involved in an attack on a synagogue full of worshippers. He was convicted of throwing bricks etched with swastikas through the windows of the temple. After spending more than a decade in prison, he was released in 2018, then charged with assaulting and stabbing another neo-Nazi.
He was released in 2020, sporting a mask of facial tattoos including the words "white power" inked across his jawbone.
Laskey could not be reached for comment. Fix, whose last known address was in Rochester, New York, didn't respond to calls."
"Navy officials said the documents viewed by USA TODAY represent only the most severe instances of white supremacy investigated in the ranks. Most incidents are dealt with internally rather than being formally investigated, according to military law experts and service members. That means there's no paper trail."
"The military doesn't track how many people are removed for extremist activity, but there are signs that incidents of white supremacy are rising among troops, reflecting a surge in hate crimes among the general population.
More than a third of active-duty military personnel reported seeing white supremacist or ideologically driven racism while on duty, according to a survey in 2019 by the Military Times. The number is higher for nonwhite members of the military. The 36% of respondents who reported seeing white supremacist or racist ideologies on display was up from 22% in 2018."
More than a third of active-duty military personnel reported seeing white supremacist or ideologically driven racism while on duty, according to a survey in 2019 by the Military Times. The number is higher for nonwhite members of the military. The 36% of respondents who reported seeing white supremacist or racist ideologies on display was up from 22% in 2018."
' "As a country, we haven't decided that white supremacy is something that we really want to acknowledge, let alone address in a major way," said Sarah Vinson, a forensic psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Morehouse School of Medicine.'
' Outside the military, racially motivated fights can be prosecuted as hate crimes in most states. Military prosecutors didn't have that option because no specific section of the military criminal code refers to extremism or white supremacist activity.
All six Marines were allowed to leave the service with general discharges “under honorable conditions.”
That "indicates how little the military cares about these issues," said Heidi Beirich, chief strategy officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. "You can do the most heinous things in terms of racism, bigotry, extremist groups and there is no cost to you whatsoever."
"Now you've been trained by the military and you're unleashed on the civilian population," Beirich said.'
All six Marines were allowed to leave the service with general discharges “under honorable conditions.”
That "indicates how little the military cares about these issues," said Heidi Beirich, chief strategy officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. "You can do the most heinous things in terms of racism, bigotry, extremist groups and there is no cost to you whatsoever."
"Now you've been trained by the military and you're unleashed on the civilian population," Beirich said.'
More information and details and photos are in the original article at www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2021/04/13/us-navy-marines-white-supremacy-discharged/4566463001/