THE LONG CRUSADE

I am writing in response to “The Long Crusade,” by Richard E. Meyer (Dec. 3). The article described how Morris Dees has filed a federal lawsuit against my son and me seeking to recover damages for the death of an Ethiopian, Mulugeta Seraw, killed in Portland, Ore.

The article claims that Seraw was “attacked” by three skinheads. This is untrue. Seraw was killed in a street brawl that he or his companions provoked.

According to police records and eye-witnesses, Seraw was being dropped off after a night of drinking with two Ethiopian companions. They had parked in the middle of the street, blocking traffic, and were engaged in a prolonged conversation. Seraw had a blood alcohol level of over .16%. Three white kids, with their dates, tried to drive past. According to all reports, they politely asked Seraw’s friends to move their car and to let them pass. They were ignored. When they honked the horn, the Ethiopians responded with obscenities and threats. This escalated until the Ethiopians got out of their car and challenged the white boys to a fight.

Two of the whites responded and fought with two Ethiopians. Seraw then ran over and slugged one of the fighting whites in the face as the other Ethiopian held him. That is when the third white entered the fight and hit Seraw with a baseball bat.

I believe that the Southern Poverty Law Center has tried to exploit a tragedy as a fund-raising matter. It has sent out lurid direct mailings to raise money for “legal action” against me.

The principle that Mr. Dees promotes is extreme and dangerous: Advocacy of ideas becomes grounds for liability. Are Marxist demagogues to become liable for thieves who “liberate” property from rich capitalists? Is the Pope to become liable for assaults on homosexuals for declaring homosexuality a sin? Is Playboy magazine to be liable for inciting lust in a rapist’s heart? Stripped of its flamboyant allegations and applied to other situations, the basis of the suit is absurd.

Defending against Mr. Dees’ suit has been expensive. Because my political views are unpopular, I cannot find legal counsel in Oregon and have had to represent myself. Since Mr. Dees’ fund-raising mailings, my wife and children have been exposed to numerous death threats, vandalism and a nighttime assault.

TOM METZGER, Fallbrook