Atlanta Antifascists – Page 14 – Tracking and Countering the Far Right since 2016

East Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan has “Just Not Found […] an Issue” Regarding Officer Tommy Long, Exposed for Pro-KKK Facebook Activity

Update: on September 17, the East Ellijay Police Department officially cleared Officer Long as we expected. Further response to the EEPD’s bogus stories here.

On Tuesday, September 11, The Times-Courier newspaper in North Georgia published two articles where East Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan defended his employee Officer Thomas Dwayne Long. Long was placed on administrative leave last week, following our article documenting Long’s online support for the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (UNSKKKK) – a story then picked up by The Huffington Post and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police Chief Callahan states that an investigation into Long is ongoing. However, Callahan is already signaling how the investigation will likely conclude, stating that “we’ve just not found a lot that indicates an issue” with Long’s behavior and repeating Officer Long’s claim that his Facebook was “hacked.”

Larry Callahan presents Tommy Long with an “Officer of the Year” award in late 2016.

Our article about Officer Long linked his Facebook profile to six different accounts for two UNSKKKK leaders – Imperial Wizard (chief national organizer) Charles Geoffrey Denton and Georgia Grand Dragon (main state organizer) Justin Stephen Owens. Amongst other things, Officer Tommy Long “liked” these posts:
· Imperial Wizard Denton calling for Klansmen to act as an unofficial police auxiliary;
· a post of Denton in KKK robes with what appears to be a burning cross in the background;
· a reference to lynching posted by Denton on Long’s Facebook wall;
· a picture posted by Georgia Klan leader Justin Owens of his UNSKKKK “blood drop” ring; and
· a post by Owens urging people to “JOIN THE KLAN!” and take a stand against “mongrels” and Black Lives Matter, with this post providing the UNSKKKK website.

In addition, Tommy Long commented on one of Imperial Wizard Charles Denton’s Facebook accounts several times, as well as “liking” even more comments by him. Tommy Long’s activity goes beyond just palling around with Klansmen. It is a clear pattern of support and sympathy.

East Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan defends Long and complains about the attention brought on his police department. The Times-Courier devotes significant space to Callahan grumbling about random phone calls his Department has received, in the wake of our documentation on Tommy Long being published. Through taking a victim pose, Chief Callahan diverts attention from the real issue: his officer’s documented endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. Continue reading “East Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan has “Just Not Found […] an Issue” Regarding Officer Tommy Long, Exposed for Pro-KKK Facebook Activity”

Cop and Klan: East Ellijay Police Officer Supports the United Northern & Southern Knights

Thomas Dwayne Long, a police officer in East Ellijay, Georgia, is a clear supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. According to an online biography, Tommy Long has been with the East Ellijay Police Department since 2010. Before that, Long worked with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office. On social media, Tommy Long is linked to militants of the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (UNSKKKK), an organization which Long also supports.

Tommy Long of the East Ellijay Police Department.

Continue reading “Cop and Klan: East Ellijay Police Officer Supports the United Northern & Southern Knights”

Leak of “Elite” Alt-Right Chats Shine Further Light on Casey Jordan Cooper, White Power Leader at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School

Summary: Newly leaked chat logs from an “elite” Alt-Right discussion server reveal additional information on racist leader and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School student Casey Jordan Cooper. Cooper states that he led the “ATL-Right” group operating in metro Atlanta. Cooper cites white nationalist leader Sam Dickson as an invaluable connection for his future law career and suggests that Dickson may have already helped Cooper get work from smaller law firms. Cooper also celebrates violence at “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville 2017 and spins a grotesque legal fantasy of suing on behalf of white supremacist murderer James Alex Fields, Jr., then using the proceeds to drive Black residents from an Atlanta neighborhood. Although Cooper has been exposed as the author of unequivocal lynching threats, his published comments make it clear he is confident about his future and expects his law career to go unopposed.

This August, the independent journalism collective Unicorn Riot published online chats from the “Vibrant Diversity” Discord server. Discord is a discussion app used by gaming communities but also by white power organizers; Unicorn Riot has published numerous “Alt-Right” Discord chat logs as part of its ongoing “Discord leaks.” The “Vibrant Diversity” chat server was described by one participant as “the most elite discord server in the Alt Right.” Unsurprisingly, racist leader and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School student Casey Jordan Cooper participated in discussion there, under the moniker “Phoenix – GA”.

Casey Jordan Cooper at Identity Evropa white power rally in Nashville, Tennessee, March 2018

Atlanta Antifascists have already exposed Casey Cooper and his history of racist agitation, including clear lynching threats made against a Black activist in Atlanta. Most recently, we also revealed that during much of 2017 and early 2018 Cooper lived at a Peachtree Hills white nationalist organizing hub owned by racist leader Sam Dickson. Continue reading “Leak of “Elite” Alt-Right Chats Shine Further Light on Casey Jordan Cooper, White Power Leader at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School”

The Racists on Ridgeland Way: Ground Zero for “Alt-Right” Organizing in Atlanta

Introduction

The house, located on a quiet, affluent street in the Peachtree Hills neighborhood of Buckhead, Atlanta, does not stand out. The comings and goings at 121 Ridgeland Way NE may not attract much neighborhood attention. However, this house is a hub for racist organizing not just for Atlanta, but for the South and arguably the country. It is owned by Sam Glasgow Dickson, a key player in the white nationalist movement. From this building, Dickson and his associates try to build the white power movement, especially its middle-class face. They also make moves in the Atlanta property market, both enriching themselves and building resources for their cause.

RW front — *121 Ridgeland Way NE. (Can you see a subtle algiz rune on the exterior too, or are we trippin’?)*

Our prior coverage of long-time white nationalist leader Sam Dickson includes a detailed article from last year on “Right-Wing Gentrification Gangs.” Apart from some background information and setting out Dickson’s importance within the broader white nationalist movement, we will not duplicate that earlier material here. This article has two purposes. First, we are updating our earlier coverage of Dickson and his white power associates. Second, by setting out five names associated with the Ridgeland Way property in Buckhead, we aim to provide a more complete picture of what goes on at the space, and how this activity fits within the white nationalist movement regionally and nationally. Continue reading “The Racists on Ridgeland Way: Ground Zero for “Alt-Right” Organizing in Atlanta”

“Hitler Did Nothing Wrong”: Spalding County Deputy Sheriffs Express Far-Right Allegiance

Update, afternoon of 8/6/2018: Well that was quick… Costner and James have been fired.

Introduction

Howard Reece Costner, currently employed as a Deputy Sheriff/detention officer in Spalding County, Georgia, is a participant in the Alt-Right who believes that racism is “normal” and who labels non-racist points of view as “delusional.”

Costner claims that he “respect[s]” the founder of the American Nazi Party and “agree[s] with a lot of his [George Lincoln Rockwell’s] points.” Deputy Costner also is open about his friendships with current-day neo-Nazis. Posting to a group on Facebook, Costner even shared a picture of a Nazi flag hanging in his living space. A glance at Costner’s social media accounts shows Costner’s support for fascist, antisemitic, and white nationalist political projects.

Another Spalding County Sheriff’s Office employee/detention officer, Jesse A. Jones, proclaims on his online gaming profile that “Hitler did nothing wrong.” Jones is a friend of Costner’s. Both joined the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in late 2017.

jesse a jones deputy — *Jesse Aaron Jones*

We are not surprised at the presence of a hardened ideological racist in Georgia law enforcement, or about another Deputy proclaiming that “Hitler did nothing wrong.” There are likely others with the same commitments as Costner and Jones, although some may be better at covering their tracks. With our release of this documentation on Deputies Costner and Jones, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office must decide if it will continue to employ open ideological racists.

Continue reading ““Hitler Did Nothing Wrong”: Spalding County Deputy Sheriffs Express Far-Right Allegiance”

Right-wing Self-help Guru Jordan Peterson in Atlanta on June 12: Our Response / Some Further Thoughts on Peterson’s “Enforced Monogamy”

Recently, we placed posters around The Tabernacle, a venue in downtown Atlanta. Our posters criticize that venue’s decision to host Jordan Peterson on Tuesday, June 12. Peterson is an academic turned self-help author and internet pundit. Peterson popularizes far-Right theories, cashing in on opposition to so-called “social justice warrior” culture. You can read and download our poster below.

peterson poster — *Poster about Jordan Peterson’s appearance at The Tabernacle on June 12. Click image for .pdf download.*

With this poster, we have mostly had our say about Peterson and his followers, except for one issue.

Peterson devotees might raise angry objections when they read our poster. “How unfair!” they could say, “You didn’t even mention that Peterson wrote a clarification about his ‘enforced monogamy’ comment.”

Our view is that Peterson’s initial words were clear enough. Peterson’s clarification – he claims to simply offer “plain, bare, common-sense facts” that have been gleefully misinterpreted by his “motivated critics” – is a deflection of responsibility. The most reasonable interpretation of Peterson’s statement and his “clarification” is that women should be bullied. Continue reading “Right-wing Self-help Guru Jordan Peterson in Atlanta on June 12: Our Response / Some Further Thoughts on Peterson’s “Enforced Monogamy””

Christopher Gibson: Klansman and “Patriot Front” Sympathizer in Dublin, Georgia

In May, we exposed Aaron Christopher Krueger, a key organizer for the racist/fascist Patriot Front organization in Georgia.

Now we highlight another person in our state linked to Patriot Front: Christopher Wayne Gibson of Dublin, Georgia. Chris Gibson has not only circulated propaganda for Patriot Front – Gibson is clear that he is a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

In this article, we will share screen-captures of a now-deleted Facebook page under the name “Chris Waynes.” A quick comparison of the profile picture for “Chris Waynes” and other images of Christopher Gibson (from a Facebook account under his real name) make it clear that “Chris Waynes” and Christopher Wayne Gibson are the same person.

Image of “Chris Waynes” (left) and Christopher Gibson (right) for comparison. Note that “1488” is white supremacist code: the number 14 represents the “Fourteen Words,” a white power slogan. 88 represents the eighth letter of the alphabet repeated twice, which stands for “Heil Hitler.”

Gibson and the Ku Klux Klan

By his own admission, Christopher Gibson is a Klansman. In January 2018, Gibson (as “Chris Waynes”) posted images of himself at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park in Dublin, Georgia. Gibson/“Waynes” held a banner used by the first-generation Ku Klux Klan. Commenting on the Facebook pictures from the MLK Monument, “Chris Waynes” announced: “AKIA!” This is Klan code for “A Klansman I am!”