MY TURN: Keenans v. Aryan Nations 25th Anniversary: Justice triumphs

Richard Butler and the neo-Nazis arrived in northern Idaho in 1973 and established the political arm known as the Aryan Nations and the religious arm called the Church of Jesus Christ, Christian. They purchased 40 acres just northeast of Hayden, Idaho, on Rimrock Road. In late December 1980, members of the neo-Nazi group targeted the restaurant in Hayden of Jewish owner Sid Rosen with swastikas and other racist graffiti. 

In response to this victimization of a Jewish business owner, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (KCTFHR) was born the first week of February 1981 during a meeting at the First Christian Church in Coeur d’Alene as a counter to this hate activity.  

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, members of the Aryan Nations and their associates, such as Order I and Order II engaged in criminal acts of murder, bombings, armed car robberies, counterfeiting United States currency, massive distributions of hate literature and other acts threatening the safety of our people. 

On Sept. 15, 1985, members of Order II, bombed the home of Father Bill Wassmuth, a Catholic priest and president of the KCTFHR, in an attempt to kill Wassmuth. 

During this difficult period, the KCTFHR led a state-wide movement with support from other groups to work with Idaho’s Republican and Democratic state legislators and Republican and Democratic governors for the passage of a series of anti-hate crime laws as well as other important statewide campaigns, events and programs. 

Thus, came two questions: (1) How would this long threat to our communities’ end? And (2) would the Keenans find justice? 

On July 1, 1998, Victoria Keenan and her 19-year-old son, Jason, were driving on Rimrock Road past the Aryan Nations compound when their small honeybee car backfired. With tensions high regarding the upcoming Aryan Nations' first parade in Coeur d’Alene, three Aryan Nations’ security guards assumed the compound was about to be invaded. They left the compound in a truck. The guards chased the Keenans’ car for 2 miles, hit the car five times with assault weapons and then drove the car into a ditch. The guards physically abused Ms. Keenan and threatened to kill her and her son if they reported the incident to the police. 

KCTFHR’s long-time attorney, Norm Gissel, became the family attorney. After sessions with a traumatized Ms. Keenan, Gissel recruited Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, along with prominent Idaho tort attorney Ken Howard, to bring a civil case against the Aryan Nations and the security guards. 

The “Keenans v. Aryan Nations” civil trial took place in late August and early September 2000. On Sept. 7, a 12-member jury in Coeur d’Alene unanimously awarded the Keenans $6.3 million, bankrupting the neo-Nazi group, thus ending the long ordeal. The trial received worldwide media coverage. The people of the Pacific Northwest were then able to put this dark period behind them and move forward to a brighter future.  

The important lesson is how was a vulnerable mother and her son without resources able to seek justice as victims? Although the aim of our laws and courts is to deliver justice for all persons, the marginalized often cannot find relief.  However, in this case, attorneys Norm Gissel, Ken Howard and the Southern Poverty Law Center under Morris Dees provided the path to victory. The plaintiff’s attorneys and a 12-member jury Sept. 7, 2000, delivered justice for the Keenans. The core to guaranteeing fairness requires the enforcement of laws through application in the courts.  

The people of this region on Sept. 27 at the human rights banquet will have the unique opportunity to hear the full story of how the trial came about, the attorney’s two-years planning for the trial, the details of each day’s dramatic court proceedings and the outcome. 

Norm Gissel and Ken Howard, prominent attorneys in the case, will keynote the 26th annual KCTFHFR Human Rights Banquet, addressing the topic: “The 25th Anniversary of 'Keenan’s v. Aryan Nations.'”  

Ken Howard received his J.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit and opened a private practice in Coeur d’Alene in 1971. Among his many honors is the “Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Personal Injury and Product Liability” for over 20 years.  

Norm Gissel, a native Idahoan, received his J.D. from the University of Idaho in 1970 and had a private practice in Coeur d’Alene from 1972-2014. He, too, has received many honors, including the “1998 Idaho Bar Association-Pro Bono Service Award.” 

This is a great opportunity for the public to hear and learn first-hand about one of the most successful civil cases in United States history against Nazis and neo-Nazis that ended decades of hate crimes fueled by bigotry and prejudice.

This can be a special gift to practicing attorneys and young people who plan to pursue law.

The banquet will be at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn at 506 W. Appleway on Saturday, Sept. 27, reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. Individual tickets are $55, silver tables for eight are $600 and gold tables for 8 are $1,000. More information at: 208-765-3932 

Ticket purchases can be made by sending checks or money orders to: KCTFHR, P.O. Box 2725, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816.

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Tony Stewart is the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations secretary.