The Region : Warrant for Alleged White Supremacist

An arrest warrant has been issued for Thomas Miner, an alleged white supremacist who failed to appear in a Los Angeles court on misdemeanor charges stemming from a triple cross-burning three years ago. The court session was called to schedule a preliminary hearing for nine defendants in the case and to hear motions, including one asking for dismissal of the charges as unconstitutional. Outside the courtroom, Tom Metzger, director of the White Aryan Resistance and former head of the Ku Klux Klan in California, accused Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner of pressing charges out of animosity toward the group’s politics. The defendants are charged with a variety of misdemeanors, including building an outdoor fire without a permit, rioting, possessing billy clubs and wearing disguises during the commission of a crime. Defense attorneys contend that cross-burning is a constitutionally protected activity involving speech, religion and assembly rights. A spokesman for the district attorney’s office said that Reiner had no comment. The hearing was continued until Dec. 12.