History
Keystone State Skinheads was founded in late 2001 by five men from Harrisburg, PA. It originally focused on uniting white power skinheads throughout the regions of Pennsylvania. A second KSS chapter was founded in nearby Lancaster, which had a small group of white power skinheads who were part of a National Alliance youth group. Shortly after the formation of Lancaster's chapter, World Church of the Creator leader Matt Hale had announced plans to visit York, PA to speak at the public library. White supremacists were set upon by hundreds of Anti-Racist Action members and other anti-fascists outside the library. The Anti-Defamation League stated that: "KSS transformed itself from a mainly Harrisburg group to a network of seven regional crews that had members from every major city in the state and associates in New Jersey, Maryland and New York." [4]
The National Alliance is a white supremacist,, neo-Nazi, Holocaust denial and white separatist political organization. political organization founded by white supremacist William Luther Pierce in 1974 and based in Hillsboro, West Virginia. Membership in 2002 was estimated at 2,500 with an annual income of $1 million. Membership declined after Pierce's death in 2002 and after a split in its ranks in 2005 the group has been barely functioning.
Matthew F. "Matt" Hale is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi leader and a convicted felon. Hale was the founder of the East Peoria, Illinois-based white separatist group then known as the World Church of the Creator, and he declared himself its Pontifex Maximus in continuation of the Church of the Creator organization founded by Ben Klassen in 1973.
The Anti-Racist Action Network (ARA) was a decentralized network of anti-fascists and anti-racists in North America which existed from 1987 until 2013. ARA activists organize actions, including the self-defense to disrupt neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, and help organize activities against fascist and racist ideologies. ARA groups also oppose sexism, homophobia, heterosexism, anti-immigration, Nativism, anti-Semitism, and the anti-abortion movement. ARA originated from the skinhead and punk subcultures with influence from anarchist politics.
The KSS has organized several white power concerts in Pennsylvania, featuring bands such as: Blue Eyed Devils, Max Resist, Youngland, Grom, Cradle Song, Teardown, Those Opposed, Vinland Warriors, Grand Belial's Key and Fear Rains Down.
Grand Belial's Key (GBK) is a black metal band founded in Oakton, Virginia in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vocalist Lord Vlad Luciferian. Lord Vlad Luciferian was later ejected from the group due to internal differences. Although the band says their lyrical themes are simply "anti-JewishChristian and/or anti-religion", they have been accused of far-right and racist views. Gelal Necrosodomy has responded to these accusations by stating "black metal to me is paganism, and paganism is neo-fascism, and neo-fascism is anti-christian, and anti-christianity is black metal. It is a circle that cannot be altered for everything fits in perfectly."
KSS began to capitalize on its growing prominence by conducting a series of concerts, first in Harrisburg, and then in a series of venues across the state. In late September 2003, Hammerskin Nation allowed KSS to help coordinate Hammerfest, which was held in Pennsylvania. By the beginning of 2004, KSS had become the largest group in the northeastern U.S. [4]
The Hammerskins are a white supremacist group formed in 1988 in Dallas, Texas. Their primary focus is the production and promotion of white power rock music, and many white power bands have been affiliated with the group. The Hammerskins were affiliated with the record label 9% Productions. The Hammerskins host several annual concerts, including Hammerfest, an annual event in both the United States and Europe in honor of deceased Hammerskin Joe Rowan, the lead singer of the band Nordic Thunder.
KSS has also organized family-oriented events such as parties and picnics, as well as more political activities, such as distributing pamphlets, attending protests and posting fliers.
Violence and arrests
- In June 2002, KSS members Robert Gaus, Douglas and Joseph Hoesch were arrested by police outside the Suburban Diner in Feasterville, near Philadelphia, for assaulting a man who asked them to stop throwing food at his table. The victim was struck several times and left on the diner’s floor. All three pleaded guilty to a charge of simple assault and were given suspended sentences. [4]
- In September 2002, KSS members Todd Sager, Jason Hayden, and Christopher Keough, beat a former member, Christopher Morosko, who refused to return his KSS "colors". The three pleaded guilty to assault on March 3, 2003, and were all released for time served. [4]
- On March 23, 2003, KSS members Keith Carney, Steve Smith and Steve Monteforte were arrested on ethnic intimidation charges in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for assaulting an African-American man who, according to police, was walking home in the early morning. [5]
- In April 2003, two associates of the Lancaster Keystone State Skinheads were arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats for making racist and threatening comments to three black patrons in a Lancaster-area bar. [4]
- In January 2006, KSS members Edward Robert Locke and Todd Clair Sager were charged with multiple counts in connection with a violent bar fight in March 2005 in New Stanton. Police claim Locke stabbed two men. Locke was charged with attempted homicide and four counts of aggravated assault while Sager was charged with criminal solicitation to commit homicide and criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault. [4]
- In January 2007, KSS members Kenneth Hoover and Charles Marovskis were arrested for beating two homeless men to death in Tampa, Florida in 1998. Hoover pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and racketeering. Charles Marovskis, of West Pittston, Pennsylvania, but originally from Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty to two federal charges of second-degree murder. [4]
- On May 26, 2007, Carney was charged with a series of weapons and assault charges stemming from an incident that reportedly involved him and two other persons beating up an alleged KSS associate. [6]
- On September 7, 2008, Philadelphia police officers arrested KSS member Andrew Boyle at a Philadelphia bar for being in possession of a knife. At the time of his arrest, Boyle was out on bail, awaiting trial on another matter. Boyle, along with co-defendants and fellow KSS members Carney and Doug Caffarella, and Atlantic City Skinhead Vincent DeFelice, were charged with assault and conspiracy in the alleged attack of another skinhead outside a Philadelphia bar in 2007. [4]
Eric Stuart Joyce is a British politician and former military officer. He is a former member of parliament (MP) for Falkirk West and Falkirk. Joyce was an MP from the 2000 Falkirk West by-election, originally as a Labour Party MP, until 2015 when he stood down having sat as an Independent MP for several years.
Amtrak's 195-mile (314 km) Keystone Service provides frequent regional passenger train service between the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, running along the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line. Most trains continue along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to Pennsylvania Station in New York.
Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply The Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1959 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1965, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets and riding Triumphs, began to evolve along the lines of the stereotypical one-percenter motorcycle club.
The Keystone Corridor is a 349-mile (562 km) railroad corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that consists of two rail lines: Amtrak's Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg main line, which also hosts SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line commuter rail service; and the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Line. The corridor was originally the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Harrisburg Transportation Center is a large railway station and transportation hub in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is located on the eastern edge of Downtown Harrisburg between the intersections of Aberdeen and Market Streets and 4th and Chestnut Streets. The well-situated station is the primary hub for passenger rail and intercity bus services in the Harrisburg metropolitan area and South Central Pennsylvania.
Russell Stuvaints, is a former American football defensive back. He formerly played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League and Team Arkansas of the All American Football League. He won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers, beating Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks.
Lancaster is an Amtrak railroad station and a former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Lancaster, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on the Keystone Corridor, the station is served by the Keystone Service between New York City and Harrisburg, and by the Pennsylvanian between New York and Pittsburgh. Lancaster is the second busiest Amtrak station in Pennsylvania, and the twenty-first busiest in the United States. It is one of the busiest Amtrak stations serving a metropolitan area smaller than two million people, primarily because of the large number of passengers traveling to and from Philadelphia and points east.
Tri-City Skins was an Ontario-based white power group active from 1997 to 2002 in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area. James Scott Richardson was the group's most visible member, and in October 2001, police believed that Tri-City Skins had 25 members in southwestern Ontario. Some members of the Tri-City Skins were alleged to have engaged in a campaign of intimidation, assault, vandalism and other property crimes. Some members have been arrested and charged with possession of illegal weapons and drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by Amtrak in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. This is the only electrified Amtrak service outside of the main line of the Northeast Corridor. The line runs from Philadelphia, where it meets the Northeast Corridor at Zoo interlocking, west to Harrisburg, where electrification ends. It is part of the longer Keystone Corridor, which continues west to Pittsburgh along the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line. This section is sometimes referred to as "Keystone East" and is part of Amtrak's Keystone Service.
Michael John Devlin is an American criminal convicted of kidnapping and child sexual abuse. He is currently serving 71 life sentences at Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri.
Bernie S. is a computer hacker living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a regular panelist on the WBAI radio show Off the Hook. In 2001 he appeared in Freedom Downtime, a documentary produced by 2600 Films.
The Aryan Guard is a neo-Nazi group based in Alberta, Canada, whose members are primarily located in the city of Calgary. It was founded in late 2006, and was reported to have disbanded in 2009 as a result of internal conflict including pipe bombing attacks. However, late in 2009 the group denied this and claimed it was still operating.
The Barack Obama assassination plot in Tennessee was a plot by Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart to assassinate Barack Obama, who was then the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nominee. The two men, both Neo-Nazis, spoke of killing Obama during a planned murder spree of 88 African Americans in Tennessee, many of whom were young students at an unidentified, predominantly black school.
On October 15, 2008, Michael Mineo was arrested and allegedly sodomized by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers in the Prospect Park subway station in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. According to Mineo, the arresting police officers pinned him to the ground, while Richard Kern, one of the officers, pulled down Mineo's pants and sodomized him with a police baton. On December 9, 2008, the Brooklyn District Attorney indicted the three arresting officers and charged them with felonies. Kern was charged with aggravated sexual abuse in the first degree, assault in the first degree, and hindering prosecution. Two other officers — Andrew Morales and Alex Cruz — were charged with hindering prosecution and official misconduct. All three officers were tried and found not guilty of all charges.
The Paoli/Thorndale Line, formerly known as the R5, is a SEPTA Regional Rail service running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County on Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line which is part of the Keystone Corridor which in turn was once the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Warlocks Motorcycle Club is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1967. It was the first official 1% outlaw motorcycle club founded in Pennsylvania. The club is most prominent in the Philadelphia and Delaware County area, but they have territory all throughout the Delaware Valley, including South Jersey and Wilmington, and have a heavy presence in the Lehigh Valley. There are now chapters all throughout Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware. The club's insignia is a Harpy, which in Greek and Roman mythology, was a female monster in the form of a bird with a human face. Their colors are Red and White. The club rapidly expanded at the end of the Vietnam War when thousands of soldiers returned home to the United States, many to Pennsylvania.
The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was a neo-Nazi, white nationalist group based in the United States. Established in 2013 by Matthew Heimbach under the name Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN), the group promotes white separatism and a white supremacist view of Christianity. Part of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Front, the TWP has held a number of protests and other local events. Since 2015, the group also operated as a political party to run in elections for local office.
Timothy John Piazza died as the result of hazing at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University at University Park, Pennsylvania. The incident led to closure of the fraternity's chapter at the university and, as of November 14, 2017, at least 26 members of the fraternity face charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
