Republican politician's neo-Nazi group charged with beating black man in restaurant

Members of a Pennsylvania white supremacist group are facing charges for allegedly beating a black man in a bar. The group’s co-founder, who previously pleaded guilty to terrorist threats and ethnic intimidation in the 2003 beating of another black man, is a local elected official.

Police are preparing charges against six or seven people who allegedly attacked Paul Morris, an African-American man, in a bar outside Pittsburgh earlier this month, KDKA reported. Witnesses said the alleged attackers wore clothing marking them as members of Keystone United, a violent white supremacist group. The group, which has shown up in force at Donald Trump’s rallies, was co-founded by Steve Smith, a current elected official in his county’s Republican Party. Smith, who lives outside the area and was not placed at the scene of the attack, and other Keystone members have previously been convicted in beatdowns on black men.

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The group was reportedly loitering near the back of the bar, when Morris passed them on his way to the kitchen to deliver a thank-you card to the manager, who had prepared food for Morris’s son’s graduation party.

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But when Morris returned from the kitchen, the group allegedly began shouting racial slurs at him. A member allegedly hit Morris, knocking his glasses to the ground. When Morris went to retrieve them, the whole group attacked him, he said.

Police apprehended some members of the group, including one man wearing a Keystone United shirt, but did not make any arrests at the time. Morris also identified one of his attackers on the hate group’s website, The Citizen reported.

On Tuesday, police finally announced forthcoming charges against six or seven people allegedly in the attack.

“They’re definitely going to be charged with simple assault, ethnic intimidation, conspiracy for simple assault, and a conspiracy for ethnic intimidation,” Avalon Police Chief Tom Kokoski told KDKA.

Most of the soon-to-be charged live outside the area, Kokoski told The Citizen. Keystone United is a statewide organization whose members travel en masse to Donald Trump campaign events, as The Daily Beast previously reported. Since the group’s 2001 foundation, its leaders have been convicted in multiple attacks, particularly on African-Americans.

Steve Smith, one of Keystone United’s co-founders was involved in one of the group’s earliest attacks. Smith, a former member of the Aryan Nations and David Duke’s National Association for the Advancement of White People, was arrested in 2003 for an attack on a black man in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Smith and two other Keystone members assaulted the man with rocks and pieces of pavement. Smith pleaded guilty to ethnic intimidation and making terrorist threats.

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Keystone United’s website indicates Smith is still a high-ranking member. The group’s most recent post, from June, boasts of a 2008 television appearance by “Keystone United’s spokesman Steve Smith.”

Smith also authored a March blog post for the group’s website, in which he complains of facing “anti-white bias” during his military service in the 1990s. (He had been charged for violating a rule against soldiers doing recruiting for extremist organizations, in his case, David Duke’s NAAWP.) He did not return The Daily Beast’s Wednesday request for comment on the attack on Morris.

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Morris said that members of the group made several vulgar comments to him as he was out on the deck, and he decided it would be best to leave. As he came back into the bar, however, he said that he was hit by one of the group members. Morris, who sustained facial injuries but did not seek medical attention, said that his glasses were knocked off his face. He reported that as he leaned over to pick them up from the floor, he was jumped by the entire group, males and females. Scanlon said that the kitchen manager attempted to pull people off Morris, and also was assaulted. When someone announced that the police had been called, the group ran out of the bar, using the back exit and running around the side of the building, Scanlon and Morris said.

Morris said that one of the men assaulting him identified himself as a “Neo-Nazi,” and said that “they” intended to “eradicate” people of color.

Scanlon said that she has a list of at least 10 people who were present and reported the events the same way.

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Morris is still reeling from the incident. He said that he graduated from Avonworth High School as one of only two black students in his class, and that he has never felt prejudice from his local neighbors.

“My community’s always embraced me,” he said. As for the assault, “It felt different. It was hate,” he said.

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Morris said there was little doubt that members of the group “had the look” of skinheads, but, “you can’t judge a book by the cover,” so he just walked past them to meet the kitchen manager, at which point the two of them went out onto the bar’s back deck so that the kitchen manager could smoke a cigarette.

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A woman caller, who says she was with the group, declined to be identified, but claims that it was Morris who provoked the fight, and that no one made a racial slur.

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But, bar manager Jackie Scanlon said those who were there disagree.

“What happened wasn’t right,” said Scanlon. “Everyone who was here and witnessed it stands behind what I just said, and I think they’re willing to stand up.”

Scanlon said the bar clientele and the neighborhood are racially mixed and don’t discriminate.

“There’s no discrimination as to who can come in here,” she said. “But what we don’t want in here is people who hate, who have some kind of mission to hurt other people. So that is not welcomed.”

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JosephDredd said:

Steve Smith seems to have slipped by me; I did not know he was one of the several neo-Nazi Republicans in the game right now.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-loving-skinheads-face-charges-for-beating-black-man



Some details on the attack itself:

http://www.thecitizen.us/article/racially-motivated-attack-reported



Lately I've been getting some pushback from some people who feel my coverage leads to unfair discussions. So, in the interest of community, I thought I'd highlight these tidbits from the above article:



I thought I'd highlight this passage to make it easy for dumb shits to claim there's no racism in America. Clearly, it only exists in pockets here and there or this man would not be unfamiliar with being beaten because he's black.



I chose to highlight this passage to make it easy for you-know-who to say that it just doesn't make sense for a black man to act like a decent, optimistic human being and to have continued with his activities. Clearly, there are holes in the man's story and he was either provoking these people or was there to burglarize the restaurant.

Also, this will aid him in his deduction of the true facts:

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/07/17/avalon-jackman-inn-assault-ethnic-intimidation-charges/



Okay, I think I've done a pretty good job with this one. Multiple sources, presented pieces of the story that racists and anti-racists alike can enjoy. Discuss responsibly.

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abiG said:

If you read your own article, you would know that neo-nazis were not even mentioned.

But since you see nazis everywhere:

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abiG said:

If you read your own article, you would know that neo-nazis were not even mentioned.

But since you see nazis everywhere:

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hillelslovak87 said:

I would love to see Steve King accidentally dragging behind a truck...

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JosephDredd said:

Wrong Steve. This is Steve Smith.

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JosephDredd said:

Hey, glad to see you're still posting stupid shit after your stupid shit in that other thread.

1. Neo-Nazis were mentioned in the article. Please read an actual news article for once in your life.

2. Neo-Nazis and their ilk really seem to love the fact that they can arm themselves with anything they want for the coming civil/race/whatever war.

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abiG said:

Not in your first link, but your 2nd has one mention:
Morris said that one of the men assaulting him identified himself as a “Neo-Nazi,” and said that “they” intended to “eradicate” people of color.

I can just picture this guy coming up, introducing himself as a nazi and explaining he was there to exterminate those of color.

You believe some crazy shit, bro.

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abiG said:

Not in your first link, but your 2nd has one mention:
Morris said that one of the men assaulting him identified himself as a “Neo-Nazi,” and said that “they” intended to “eradicate” people of color.

I can just picture this guy coming up, introducing himself as a nazi and explaining he was there to exterminate those of color.

You believe some crazy shit, bro.

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abiG said:

I can just picture this guy coming up, introducing himself as a nazi and explaining he was there to exterminate those of color.

You believe some crazy shit, bro.

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JosephDredd said:

Sounds like something you should start a thread on. With sources.

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woodguyatl said:

Good point. We definitely don’t want to ruin the good name of white supremists by calling them Neo-Nazis.

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woodguyatl said:

Kudos. You are doing an excellent job defending the racists and trying to cast doubt on the victim. Keep up the good work. 14 Words.

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Johnny Alpha said:

But Neo-Nazi are fine if they're being armed by Israel and the US in Ukraine

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Johnny Alpha said:

But Neo-Nazi are fine if they're being armed by Israel and the US in Ukraine

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abiG said:

And I am sure nazis are not identifying themselves as such. Come on now.

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