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| Richard Butler spreading the word of the Aryan Nations on the streets of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. |
Residents of Hayden Lake, Idaho no doubt rejoiced about the news that the Aryan Nations would be evicted, the compound would be surrendered and the white nationalists would be forced to move their ideologies far away from the Idaho Panhandle. One long-time resident stated, Tony Stewart said, “We feel stereotyped in a way that is unjust” (source) referring to the fact that the Aryan Nations instilled a negative reputation to the residents of Hayden Lake as being racist and white nationalists. Coeur d'Alene attorney Ken Howard states in this article that the only reason the Aryan Nations stayed in the North Idaho area for so long is to 'embarrass and define this beautiful North Idaho homeland of ours as a place inhospitable to all of those who were not of the white Christian race.'
The ghost of the Aryan Nations’ past permanently haunts those living in close proximity to the previous site of the Aryan World Congress. However, community members are having a hard time shaking the negative image of the area due to the fact that many white nationalists, specifically from California, move to the Hayden Lake area because of the abundance of mostly white residents. Additional recent talk (as of 2010), indicates the group may attempt to move their headquarters into Oregon, which brings relief to many Coeur d’Alene residents saying, “Let them go do their own thing somewhere else.” Its easy to see residents of Idaho welcome the idea of living in a community where they are not stereotyped as being racists.
In celebration of the removal of the Aryan Nations from Idaho, members of Kootenai County unveiled a black marble monument. The monument serves as a way for the community to remember they no longer need to live in fear of the Aryan Nations and all members of the community can live freely (source).
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| Artist Julie Wood embraces a Coeur d'Alene police officer at the unveiling of her monument. |
The scar of the Aryan Nations will forever blemish Northern Idaho. Residents look to recreate a new image of the area now that the dark cloud of the Aryan Nations has passed. Like any scar that remains, the people of the area will continue to talk about the Aryan Nation's use of fear and intimidation to create a menacing reputation for the people of North Idaho. Like any group being stereotyped, the community wants to establish the fact that they are not tied in any way to the Aryan Nations (or any white nationalist group) and instead look to embrace a new image of acceptance within their community.
Very Interesting article! I am not from the Coeur d’Alene area and if it wasn't for being in this class i most likely wouldn't have known that the Aryan Nation resided here. That being said, I do understand with residents fear of being harassed or judged by the wrong persons. However, if the Aryan Nation where to move their ideologies would still remain. Christian Identity beliefs are going to be around as long as the first amendment allows it to be no matter where the location. I did a little research on their potential move to John Day in Oregon and found that they were denied requests to purchase land. The group feels like they are being discriminated against for their political beliefs
ReplyDeleteIts really a catch22 when you think about it. People of any community does not want to see this radical group endangering their community with their Christian Identity rhetoric, so I am not surprised that they were denied permission to purchase land. This in return, builds frustrations within the group resulting in them showing their ideas/methods in other ways. It has to be very tough for law enforcement and the general public to predict what they are gong to do next.
How do you think the presence of Aryan Nation historically within the area impacts the willingness of people of color to visit the area? While no longer there, what is the legacies here?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! What was the monument for exactly? Do you think that they will ever fully be able to escape their town being known as the place where the Aryan Nation compound resided? Was it a draw for white nationalists to move there since it housed the A.N for so long and seemed to "accept" them?
ReplyDeleteI happen to have an opportunity (was on an airplane) to meet a member of the Aryan nation and talked to him about his beliefs. One thing we talked about was where he was from. He currently lives near Coeur d'Alene and asked why he lives this his response was, he liked being close to the center of the movement. With him saying I come to think that even though the closing of the headquarters the movement is still well alive in that area. Do you think that moving its headquarters to Oregon will help move these current members along with it?
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