Celebration marks Aryan verdict
<p>Tony Stewart and Christie Wood, both with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relataions, make the final touches to a display Friday commemorating the tenth anniversary of the organization's trial win over the Aryan Nations.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - It's been a decade, and the man who helped turn a compound of hate into haven of peace will reflect on the victory.
Gregory C. Carr, the Idaho native whose foundation purchased the Aryan Nations compound in Hayden Lake, will be one of the honored speakers at the 10th anniversary celebration dedicated to remembering the feat.
The anniversary, hosted by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations at noon Sept. 7 at the Kootenai County Courthouse Veterans Plaza, commemorates the 10 years since a $6.3 million jury verdict bankrupted the Aryan Nations in North Idaho.
But a year later, Carr helped erase the painful reminder of what happened there by transforming the scene of terror into a yard of bliss.
As part of the ceremony, a presentation to the task force of a black marble monument of an open book designed by Julie Wood and donated by the Da Vinchi Stone Company of Post Falls. The open book is engraved with quotes about justice and pays tribute to the jury, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the task force, the attorneys for the victims in the civil suit and the philanthropist Carr.
Carr, a human rights activist from Idaho Falls, purchased the compound in 2001 after it was seized by court order following a successful lawsuit brought by the victims Victoria and Jason Keenan and the Southern Poverty Law Center against the Nazi group.
He has dedicated himself to humanitarian activities since 1998, and founded the Gregory C. Carr Foundation in 1999. His efforts, which include the Gorongosa National Park restoration project in central Mozambique and co-founding the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls, were highlighted on the CBS News program "60 Minutes" in 2008, according to his biography.
It has been 10 years since the verdict, but 12 years since the incident that led the parties to the courtroom.
On July 1, 1998, Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, were driving by the Aryan Nations compound when they were attacked by its security guards.
The Keenans' car was hit by bullets and driven off a public highway. The guards threatened to kill the Keenans if they reported the incident.
Victoria Keenan contacted the task force, and two security guards were later arrested. They pleaded guilty to the crime and were sentenced to prison.
Following the verdict Butler and the Aryan Nations declared bankruptcy in federal court, and the Keenans were awarded its compound. The Keenans in turn sold the compound to human rights activists and Carr.
Photographs surrounding the trial will also be on display, and comments from attorneys Norm Gissel and Ken Howard will be given.