“We must secure the
existence of our race and a future for white children.”
.
The Hammerskin
Nation is a leaderless group of men and women who have adopted the White Power
Skinhead lifestyle. We are blue collar workers, white collar professionals,
college students, entrepreneurs, fathers and mothers. The Hammerskin
brotherhood is way of achieving goals which we have all set for ourselves.
These goals are many but can be summed up with one phrase consisting of 14
words.
"We must secure the existence of our people and a
future for White Children."
Most skinheads come and go and do not make any permanent
impressions on the cultural dynamics of any main yard. They basically fall into
the category of short lived disruptive groups and often melt down and regroup
under the banner of another group as they liquidate one and join the other as
the dynamics demand they join their race against the others.
The only long lived group so far to survive on the streets
and inside prisons are the Hammerskin Nation skinheads. This is the most
organized and most violent group of all skinheads and not a fly by night gang
to mess with as their roots are deep and international making them a force to
reckon with no matter where you are in a prison. Of all the “crews” that exist
under the skinhead banner, they are the survivors of this game.
Hammerskin Nation membership ranges from the East Coast to
the West Coast. Their presence is felt as far south as Florida up to the
Midwest and Pennsylvania stretching their power along a string of cities and
states until you reach the Southern California beaches. There are fluid
dynamics in play with these groups related to the Hammerskin Nation. For
example, active racist skinheads have been coming and going to Phoenix Arizona
to show their presence in high profile and visibility.
Frequenting northern Arizona as well as the Central parts,
these factions are divided between many smaller skinhead groups. Examples of
such groups include the SS Guardians, Phoenix Bootboys and others. There are many smaller groups but essentially,
all of them are considered street gangs and insignificant except in their local
regions.
Neo-Nazi ideologies thrive actively amongst them
experiencing overlapping memberships as they work individually and not always
collectively. In fact, Arizona has been identified as a thriving skinhead
national attraction that threatens both law enforcement and communities.
The west coast migration between LA County and Maricopa County
is active down Interstates 8, 10 and 40. There are signs of rapidly forming and
quickly dissolving skinhead groups spread out between LA and Phoenix and one
that appears to be a main player in SoCal is a skinhead group called PEN1 or
Public Enemy Number One. This group appears to be one of the larger and more solvent
street gangs more so than the others.
There are significant crossovers to the Aryan Brotherhood
who have a heavy presence in the prison systems. As a
result, they are often engaged in the criminal activities associated with such
gangs, especially the dealing of drugs such as methamphetamine. In some other
areas of the country, there are racist skinheads with ties to outlaw motorcycle
gangs. Racist skinhead groups are susceptible to significant local variations
and rules making them hard to identify regarding code and other “business” transactions
related to criminal activities and drug dealing.
What makes it difficult
for law enforcement to identify allegiance or loyalty to various groups or
organizations is the fact that these skinheads may be found as members in any
white supremacist groups but regardless of which group they join, they are always
neo-Nazi oriented groups.
A significant part of skinhead culture is their dress and
appearance. Racist skinheads typically shave their heads (much less common
among female skinheads), tattoo themselves heavily, and often wear skinhead-related
garb such as workboots and suspenders. What is important is the exception to this
rule. There are some racist
skinheads and white supremacist who urge their membership to avoid detection
and blend in with others in public to avoid being tagged or identified as a
gang member.
For example, in a well-received speech before almost 150 white supremacists including Outlaw Hammerskins, Northern Hammerskins, Hoosier-State Skins, Klansmen, and Creativity Church members at a White Unity festival in Osceola, Indiana, in August 2003, influential white supremacist Tom Metzger presented a practical plan for "revolutionary action." This plan called for "lone wolf" tactics, silent operations, blending with the community (regrowing hair, covering/removing tattoos), and the acquisition of professional jobs, identification of informants, and a commitment to action. Metzger stressed the importance of maintaining a stoic attitude symbolized by the "Five Words" ("I have nothing to say") if one is caught in illegal acts. As a result of efforts like these, not every racist skinhead fits the stereotypical profile.
Hence
this makes it harder for law enforcement to identify membership and ideology
sharing concepts as there are various “business styles” out there related to
their criminality and priorities in the communities. For example, in a well-received speech before almost 150 white supremacists including Outlaw Hammerskins, Northern Hammerskins, Hoosier-State Skins, Klansmen, and Creativity Church members at a White Unity festival in Osceola, Indiana, in August 2003, influential white supremacist Tom Metzger presented a practical plan for "revolutionary action." This plan called for "lone wolf" tactics, silent operations, blending with the community (regrowing hair, covering/removing tattoos), and the acquisition of professional jobs, identification of informants, and a commitment to action. Metzger stressed the importance of maintaining a stoic attitude symbolized by the "Five Words" ("I have nothing to say") if one is caught in illegal acts. As a result of efforts like these, not every racist skinhead fits the stereotypical profile.
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