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FBI Won't Monitor Columbia for Nazi March
KANSAS CITY - Saturday's Nazi march isn't the first time police have encountered hate groups in Missouri.
KOMU talked with the FBI to discuss what their involvement will be in this weekend's demonstration.
The FBI does not plan on sending agents to monitor Saturday's parade by the National Socialist Movement.
In fact, the FBI is not even very involved in preventing hate crimes, which are attacks motivated by bias.
Instead, they react and prosecute violations of civil rights.
The closest division headquarters for the FBI is in Kansas City.
Agents will stay home this weekend despite concerns about the possibility of violence surrounding the neo-Nazi parade.
"Just conducting a parade that may be designed to intimidate people in general probably would not cross the line into criminal activity," FBI agent Jeff Lanza said.
Lanza admits the FBI keeps a list of groups that espouse hate, but he said it cannot track these groups based on their ideologies.
"The FBI does not track or monitor any groups, we investigate criminal activity," Lanza explained.
Though the National Socialist Movement clearly supports bias against ethnic groups, the FBI said simply sharing those opinions is not a problem.
"The line gets crossed when the intimidation is done to affect the victim's rights," Lanza said. "Their right to practice their religion, to live where they want, to go where they want to go to school. The freedoms we enjoy as American citizens."
The Patriot Act makes it easier for the FBI to communicate with other agencies to keep an eye on hate criminals and possible terrorists, but the first amendment still protects free speech and demonstration.
"I think I would rather have those freedoms than to have those types of things forbidden and live in a country like that," Lanza said.
The FBI will be involved if hate crimes do result from Saturday's march.
You can contact the Kansas City FBI to report hate crimes by calling (816) 512-8200.
Reported by: Laura Rice
Edited by: Jennifer Ayres
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 5:06 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 6:12 PM
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Mayor Says Ignore Nazis
COLUMBIA - Columbia is calling for a calm Saturday when members of an American Nazi party plan to march through downtown.
City leaders laid out their plan on Wednesday afternoon. "Not in our Town" was one of the slogans at Wednesday's meeting.
Columbia residents made their feelings clear by wearing buttons displaying the slogan.
Mayor Darwin Hindman said he wants Columbia residents to take a more measured approach when dealing with the march.
The city researched similar protests in other cities and found the best response is for Columbia residents to avoid the situation.
The city is encouraging adults to help Columbia youth find a positive message through attending alternative events.
"We celebrate diversity in this community. And although we truly recognize and respect the right to free speech, we are not making these people feel welcome," Mayor Hindman said.
Mayor Hindman also wants to make it clear that it should be "business as usual" in the downtown area, but asked that Columbia residents not make a trip just to see the parade.
The parade permit allows the march to occur sometime between noon and five on Saturday.
Reported by: Bonney Bowman
Edited by: Jennifer Ayres
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 4:13 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 5:58 PM
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Businesses Won't Welcome Nazis
COLUMBIA - Three days and counting, and Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman said he has no intention of welcoming the Nazis with open arms Saturday.
Mayor Hindman is on the same page with at least one local business owner.
"I think you treat it like the annoying kid in the 4th grade class, you just ignore it, don't give the cry-baby his candy," Jason Robertson, owner of Campus Bar and Grill, said.
Over at city hall, the mood was very similar
"Don't even give them a glass of water," City Council member Almeta Crayton said. "Let them go where they need to go and we're going to stay here and do what we need to do with our community."
Community groups have organized alternative activities to keep citizens, especially younger citizens, away from Saturday's Nazi march.
The events include a gathering at Douglass Park called "Spark in the Park."
Local movie theaters and skating rinks are offering half price youth admission, but some local businesses will have trouble avoiding the protesters.
The intersection of 9th Street and Elm will be closed to traffic on Saturday to make way for the National Socialist Movement march which goes up Elm then loops back around and down 9th Street.
This gives the deck on top of Campus Bar and Grill a birds eye view of a lot of the march. Managers said the deck will remain open but security will be increased.
Despite these worries, Hindman is calling for business as usual.
"If you have business downtown go about your business downtown," Hindman said. "What we don't want is people idly going downtown to confront the parade."
With the plan in place, the city and business owners can only wait until Saturday.
Reported by: Garrett McCaffrey
Edited by: Jennifer Ayres
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 9:41 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 10:08 PM
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