Transforming the Fascists' Headquarters into a Park for Promoting Peace and Human Rights - 2002-08-17

In northern Idaho, United States, a place that was a gathering spot and paradise for extremist religious and racist groups has been transformed into a 'Peace Park.' This transformation, overseen by a local college, occurred following a lawsuit that attracted international attention and became a success for human rights groups aiming to change the perception that Idaho is a racist state under the grip of religious extremists. For over twenty years, a neo-Nazi group known as the 'Aryan Nation' preached white supremacy and violence here, training its members in the park near Hayden Lake, a mountainous and green area in northern Idaho. This group did not allow anyone to approach the site, and an incident in 1998 led to police and judicial intervention, resulting in changes at the location. That year, the Aryan Nation's guards shot and assaulted a mother and son. Norman Giesel, the prosecutor who brought the fascists to court, stated that they first had to gain the trust of the mother and her son. Mr. Giesel, a member of a human rights group, voluntarily defended Ms. Keenan without payment. In September 2000, the jury unanimously found the assailants guilty and sentenced them to prison, also awarding over six million dollars in damages that Richard Butler, the leader of this fascist organization and owner of the property, was ordered to pay. He declared bankruptcy and was forced to give eight acres of his land to Ms. Keenan. Thus, the activities of these fascists, whose ideology was racism and the promotion of the superiority of their race and group, came to an end. A local philanthropist named Greg Carr, who works with the Idaho human rights group, thought of using this park to promote peace. The first task was to demolish a building that had a massive swastika painted on its roof, followed by a chapel that prayed to Hitler, as well as guard towers and bunkers. The Nazi Party symbol had even been carved into trees, which the local fire station used for training and burned down. In August, with the start of fall classes at North Idaho College, students in botany, biology, and geography will be the first group to hold some of their courses in this newly established park. Plans are underway to build a human rights defense center and a museum in the nearby town. Tony Stewart, a human rights activist, stated that if everything goes well, the day will come when Idaho will be recognized as a champion of human rights, rather than as the former center of the Aryan Nation's religious fascism.