See our new site at atlantaantifa.org.
The Racists on Ridgeland Way: Ground Zero for “Alt-Right” Organizing in Atlanta
Introduction
The house, located on a quiet, affluent street in the Peachtree Hills neighborhood of Buckhead, Atlanta, does not stand out. The comings and goings at 121 Ridgeland Way NE may not attract much neighborhood attention. However, this house is a hub for racist organizing not just for Atlanta, but for the South and arguably the country. It is owned by Sam Glasgow Dickson, a key player in the white nationalist movement. From this building, Dickson and his associates try to build the white power movement, especially its middle-class face. They also make moves in the Atlanta property market, both enriching themselves and building resources for their cause.
Our prior coverage of long-time white nationalist leader Sam Dickson includes a detailed article from last year on “Right-Wing Gentrification Gangs.” Apart from some background information and setting out Dickson’s importance within the broader white nationalist movement, we will not duplicate that earlier material here. This article has two purposes. First, we are updating our earlier coverage of Dickson and his white power associates. Second, by setting out five names associated with the Ridgeland Way property in Buckhead, we aim to provide a more complete picture of what goes on at the space, and how this activity fits within the white nationalist movement regionally and nationally. Continue reading
“Hitler Did Nothing Wrong”: Spalding County Deputy Sheriffs Express Far-Right Allegiance
Update, afternoon of 8/6/2018: Well that was quick… Costner and James have been fired.
Right-wing Self-help Guru Jordan Peterson in Atlanta on June 12: Our Response / Some Further Thoughts on Peterson’s “Enforced Monogamy”
Recently, we placed posters around The Tabernacle, a venue in downtown Atlanta. Our posters criticize that venue’s decision to host Jordan Peterson on Tuesday, June 12. Peterson is an academic turned self-help author and internet pundit. Peterson popularizes far-Right theories, cashing in on opposition to so-called “social justice warrior” culture. You can read and download our poster below.
With this poster, we have mostly had our say about Peterson and his followers, except for one issue.
Peterson devotees might raise angry objections when they read our poster. “How unfair!” they could say, “You didn’t even mention that Peterson wrote a clarification about his ‘enforced monogamy’ comment.”
Our view is that Peterson’s initial words were clear enough. Peterson’s clarification – he claims to simply offer “plain, bare, common-sense facts” that have been gleefully misinterpreted by his “motivated critics” – is a deflection of responsibility. The most reasonable interpretation of Peterson’s statement and his “clarification” is that women should be bullied. Continue reading
Christopher Gibson: Klansman and “Patriot Front” Sympathizer in Dublin, Georgia
In May, we exposed Aaron Christopher Krueger, a key organizer for the racist/fascist Patriot Front organization in Georgia.
Now we highlight another person in our state linked to Patriot Front: Christopher Wayne Gibson of Dublin, Georgia. Chris Gibson has not only circulated propaganda for Patriot Front – Gibson is clear that he is a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
In this article, we will share screen-captures of a now-deleted Facebook page under the name “Chris Waynes.” A quick comparison of the profile picture for “Chris Waynes” and other images of Christopher Gibson (from a Facebook account under his real name) make it clear that “Chris Waynes” and Christopher Wayne Gibson are the same person.
Image of “Chris Waynes” (left) and Christopher Gibson (right) for comparison. Note that “1488” is white supremacist code: the number 14 represents the “Fourteen Words,” a white power slogan. 88 represents the eighth letter of the alphabet repeated twice, which stands for “Heil Hitler.”
Gibson and the Ku Klux Klan
By his own admission, Christopher Gibson is a Klansman. In January 2018, Gibson (as “Chris Waynes”) posted images of himself at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park in Dublin, Georgia. Gibson/“Waynes” held a banner used by the first-generation Ku Klux Klan. Commenting on the Facebook pictures from the MLK Monument, “Chris Waynes” announced: “AKIA!” This is Klan code for “A Klansman I am!”
Meet Aaron Krueger of Lawrenceville, Georgia: Neo-Nazi Spreading “Patriot Front” Propaganda throughout Metro Atlanta
Summary: Since the end of 2017, the fascist/white supremacist organization Patriot Front has distributed thousands of flyers throughout Metro Atlanta and placed a significant number of stickers and posters throughout the region. Patriot Front’s mission is to rebrand neo-Nazi and white supremacist belief as American patriotism. Patriot Front formed as a splinter group from Vanguard America, after someone linked to Vanguard America murdered a protester at last year’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia – a bloody event which led to a reversal of fortune for organized white nationalists in the US. Although Patriot Front’s existence has been short, the organization has been growing. Political violence is at the center of Patriot Front’s apocalyptic vision of national rebirth from the ashes of “failed” democracy. In Georgia, the heart of Patriot Front is someone who goes by the name of “Chris GA” in online Patriot Front discussion. Through conducting additional research on “Chris GA” we have identified him as Lawrenceville, Georgia resident Aaron Christopher Krueger. This identification was further verified through surveillance on Krueger’s Lawrenceville address.
Documentation: National Socialist Movement & Allies in Newnan, Georgia, April 21, 2018 (Gallery 1 of 2)
Documentation: National Socialist Movement & Allies in Newnan, Georgia, April 21, 2018 (Gallery 2 of 2)
Newnan, Georgia Authorities Cite Far-Right Militia Sympathizer as Basis for April 21st Planning
Update 5/1/2018: According to new information released in response to a public records request, it appears that the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office also relied on the militia sympathizer’s scare story when planning for April 21. See Unicorn Riot’s story here.
According to the City of Newnan, police relied on a fantasy written by an “anti-antifa” sympathizer of the far-Right militia movement when deciding on a mammoth police presence against anti-Nazi protesters on April 21.
Last week, The Times-Herald – Newnan, Georgia’s main paper – published the story “Police clarify arrests, heavy presence during rally.” The Times-Herald article attempts to push back against media coverage of the militarized police in Newnan on April 21st, who charged an anti-racist crowd and pointed guns at protesters. Law enforcement now tries to build a narrative around “agitators” within the anti-racist crowd. The Times-Herald published Newnan Police Department and Coweta County Sheriff’s Office claims without any counterpoint from anti-racists or non-police observers.
April 21: Nazi Rally in Newnan, Georgia Resisted by Anti-Racists, Assisted by Militarized Police
Introduction
On April 21, 2018, the National Socialist Movement (NSM) held a small rally at the Greenville Street Park in Newnan, Georgia, 45 minutes southwest of Atlanta. The NSM’s application to use the Park — accepted by the City of Newnan for $50 — stated that the Nazi organization would bring fifty to a hundred participants for its white power rally. This was expected to be one of the largest displays of open white supremacists since the bloody “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last year. In the end, the NSM attracted approximately half its minimum projected attendance and was protested by several hundred. To create conditions for the NSM event to take place, the entire City of Newnan was militarized, with approximately 700 police from various agencies swamping the City, mobilizing a large number of military surplus vehicles, then brutalizing and arresting anti-racist protesters. We are proud of the anti-racist protesters in Newnan on Saturday. Both “antifa” and other anti-racists continued to protest even as police pointed guns at them for no apparent reason, and repeatedly charged into the #NoNaziNewnan anti-racist assembly to violently arrest demonstrators. Further, the large organized presence from the Black community in Coweta County — visible directly across the street from the Nazi rally — was inspiring. The NSM event flopped. Anti-racists and anti-fascists have much to be pleased with from the 21st, despite the fresh instances of repression which we must now address. State displays of force such as we witnessed in Newnan seem increasingly likely as anti-fascists move forward in the South. The same is probably true throughout the US. In our conclusion, we will briefly discuss ramifications of this changed strategic situation.
