The Skinhead movement began in the early 1970s in England, where gangs of
menacing-looking, tattooed teenagers in combat boots started to hang out in the
streets. Their original style of dress and behavior was meant to symbolize
tough, patriotic, anti-immigrant, working-class attitudes. But slowly racist and
neo-Nazi beliefs also started to become popular among many of these Skinhead
groups. (Some << Skinheads>>
did not become racist, however, just as some are not today; in fact, some
actively oppose racism.)
In the years that followed, the Skinhead movement began to spread from England
to the rest of Europe and the United States. Today, racist <<
Skinheads>> are active
in 33 countries on 6 continents. The movement is especially strong in countries
with high rates of immigration and unemployment. Its members almost always range
in age from 13 to 25.
The Skinhead look is easily recognizable: a shaved head or very short hair;
jeans; thin suspenders; combat boots or Doc Martens; a bomber jacket, sometimes
with Nazi symbols sewn on; and tattoos of Nazi-like emblems. The average
neo-Nazi gang ranges in size from fewer than ten to several dozen members. While
their look is important to them, being a Skinhead is not just a way to dress -
it is an entire way of life. The <<
Skinheads>>
glorify Adolf Hitler and dedicate themselves to fulfilling his dream of a world
run by Aryan, or white, people.
The << Skinheads'>>
neo-Nazi ideology and gang lifestyle give them a sense of power, belonging, and
superiority over others, often in troubled environments and at an age when they
are trying to find their place in their world. It also creates an atmosphere in
which violence is the norm. In the United States, <<
Skinheads>> have
demonstrated their willingness to attack or even kill for their cause: they are
responsible for as many as 45 murders of racial minorities, homosexuals and even
other << skinheads>> .
Wherever their gangs have surfaced, hateful crimes have followed. The new young
faces and raw energy of the << Skinheads>>
provide a boost to the organized hate movement in America.
Recent neo-Nazi Skinhead activity in Denver, including the murders of a
policeman and a West African man, underscores the need for constant vigilance
when dealing with extremist groups that espouse violence and racial hatred. The
Denver situation demonstrates that <<
Skinheads>> continue to
pose a threat to communities in this country.
Neo-Nazi << Skinheads>>
have been responsible for at least 43 murders across the nation, most of which
have occurred since 1990. A majority of their murder victims have been members
of minority groups: Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians. Some deaths have resulted
from in-group violence with << Skinheads>>
killing fellow gang members. << Skinheads>>
have also committed thousands of other crimes: beatings, stabbing, shootings,
thefts, synagogue desecration's and other forms of mayhem and intimidation.
In recent years, the number of << Skinheads>>
in this country has remained static, ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 members in 40
states. There is no single national Skinhead organization in the United States.
Instead, loosely linked networks of Skinhead gangs operate in scattered
communities. Over the years, however, the <<
Skinheads>> have tried
to hook up with more organized racists and anti-Semites, including the Ku Klux
Klan and old-line hate groups such as Aryan Nations, the Church of the Creator,
and Tom Metzger's White Aryan Resistance (WAR). They have also begun to use the
Internet to recruit youngsters and to spread their neo-Nazi propaganda. Those
attracted to the movement are almost uniformly white youths between the ages of
13 and 25.
A sample of violent incidents involving neo-Nazi <<
Skinheads>> over the
last two years:
Two neo-Nazi Skinhead soldiers from Fort Bragg were convicted for the December
1995 murder of a Black couple in Fayetteville, NC
Two Skinhead brothers brutally murdered their mother and father in Allentown, PA
in 1995.
A Skinhead in Dallas shot and permanently paralyzed a Black motorist in 1995.
A gang of << Skinheads>>
from Florida kidnapped a man on Long Island, NY and robbed and murdered him in
1995. When the << Skinheads>>
were captured, they were armed with assault rifles, a shotgun, and a pellet gun.
A Black musician was stabbed by a Skinhead in Ventura, CA as he and a white
woman sat on a pier in 1995.
Despite their static numbers, the Skinhead propensity toward violence must be a
priority concern of law enforcement and communities across the nation. The
arrest and imprisonment of many of the original <<
Skinheads>> involved
in violent incidents over the past decade point up law enforcement's
effectiveness in bearing down on violent Skinhead activity, inhibiting its
growth and causing it to disappear in some communities. The Anti-Defamation
League has asked the Justice Department to utilize its recently established
regional US Attorney-led police community hate crimes task forces to vigorously
investigate and prosecute violent hate groups.
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