Eye On Hate

...seeking a kinder and gentler world

From Teddy Bears & Lullabies to Boots & Braces
(Skinheads & Our Youth)
By Nicole Nichols

Lullabies are sung, diapers are changed, knees are scraped and owie's are kissed. Character's are built, morals are taught, and love is meted out in generous doses. As our children grow and mature, so do we. And we always hope and pray that they become the very best that they can be. Most of the time these dreams prove a reality and we boast as another generation goes forth to tackle the world and each new challenge that it brings. Parenting is sometimes a daunting task, however. Sometimes, no matter how hard we strive, our children are met with forces much greater than our own. Sometimes, they are led in a direction that is the antithesis of what we, as parents, have intended. Sometimes, our children fail us rather than us failing them.

Kenneth Springer was 23 years old when his body was found in a trailer on the National Alliance compound in Hillsboro, West Virginia. He had reportedly been shot by his own hand. While accusations have been hurled and blame squarely placed, his death still remains unsolved. A bevy of other questions surrounds Springer, better known as "Kidder," not the least of which is how and why did such a young man end up in the ranks of one of the worst extremist groups in America?

Kenneth was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man with everything to live for. He had a wife, Erin, and two young children. Kidder's mother shared the following with Citizens Against Hate:

"We raised our children in a home that was all about love, family values, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness. Our pride we have is because of whom we are not what we look like. Honor in ones self comes from within. Kidder grew up in a family, in a town, with close friends, whom he would have had to hate in order to be an NA member."

According to a close family friend, Kidder had cut off relations with the family because they had friends of other races and his wife didn't like that. One of those friends was reportedly idolized by Kenneth prior to his bizarre metamorphosis. The questions of how and why still remain unanswered in a whirlpool of speculation.

Benjamin "August" Smith was a 21-year-old man with his whole life ahead of him when in July of 1999, he went on a shooting spree in both Illinois and Indiana which claimed the lives of two and wounded nine others before he turned the gun on himself to evade capture. His affiliation with the former World Church of the Creator was well documented.

Smith was born and raised in Illinois, and by all accounts came from an upper-middle class family with no racist leanings. The 6 foot tall, 135 pound youth was at one time a criminal justice student at the University of Illinois. In his death he became a martyr among the racist right. Some own T-shirts with Smith's picture and the caption, "First Amendment Martyr." But, what happened in Smith's life to cause such a vibrant young person to join the "Movement" has yet to be determined. How was such a conversion achieved?

These are but two of many incidents in which a young man or woman, coming from a seemingly normal and loving background, have been recruited and indoctrinated into the seedy and violent world of hate in the United States. We, as a nation, must seek answers. We, as a people, must become aware and ever vigilant. We must answer the questions, how and why are these young people entering the realm of the racist right. And we must refuse to allow this to continue. Resisting hate in our towns, communities and neighborhoods must become top priority - we owe it to our children.

To Contact Nicole Nichols
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