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Hate on Trial: The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi
A crusading civil-rights attorney describes how he took on the overlord, Tom Metzger, of the White Aryan Resistance in a courtroom showdown that turned outrage into justice after an Ethiopian college student was clubbed to death by neo-Nazis in Portland, Oregon. 25,000 1st printing.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
297 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 1993
About the author
Morris Dees
16 books4 followersCo-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and former direct mail marketeer for book publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
February 18, 2010
I'd read Dees' militia book previously and had known about him and his Southern Poverty Law Center from its inception. Purchasing and reading this book was virtually a moral duty as the issues he deals with are so important. I wasn't expecting much, however. The Militia book was not very well written. It seemed rather a slap-dash job.
So did this one, but it was more conceptually interesting. Basically, it's an account of the civil trial of the Metzgers, father and son, for their responsibility in the slaying of a black student in Portland. The actual murderers were resident in Oregon at the time and were caught and sentenced. The Metzgers were in California and had no direct involvement. The case to be made was that they and their organization, White Aryan Resistance, were culpable for the violence leading to the death.
The Metzgers stood behind the Bill of Rights, saying their hate-mongering was protected speech. The Dees team demonstrated to the satisfaction of the jury that in fact they had not only promoted the racist violence by words, but had actually sent organizational representatives to Portland to effectuate it.
Not only does this book promote serious thought about the first amendment to the constitution, it also gives an interesting account of how a trial is prepared for and conducted. The writing and structure of it could be better, but I found it a page-turner because of its content anyway.
So did this one, but it was more conceptually interesting. Basically, it's an account of the civil trial of the Metzgers, father and son, for their responsibility in the slaying of a black student in Portland. The actual murderers were resident in Oregon at the time and were caught and sentenced. The Metzgers were in California and had no direct involvement. The case to be made was that they and their organization, White Aryan Resistance, were culpable for the violence leading to the death.
The Metzgers stood behind the Bill of Rights, saying their hate-mongering was protected speech. The Dees team demonstrated to the satisfaction of the jury that in fact they had not only promoted the racist violence by words, but had actually sent organizational representatives to Portland to effectuate it.
Not only does this book promote serious thought about the first amendment to the constitution, it also gives an interesting account of how a trial is prepared for and conducted. The writing and structure of it could be better, but I found it a page-turner because of its content anyway.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review