HUNTINGTON BEACH : Inquiry About Rally for White Separatist
City officials have received a telephone inquiry about a rally in Central Park for controversial race-separatist Thomas Metzger, according to William G. Reed, the city’s public information officer.
Reed said that no application for such a rally has been filed, but if one is, the city may have to grant a permit.
“Whether we agree with them or not, these people are covered by freedom of speech and the other rights that all of us have,” Reed said.
Metzger, of Fallbrook, heads the White Aryan Resistance. On Monday, a Portland, Ore., jury ordered Metzger to pay $5 million to the family of a black man beaten to death by persons the jury said were incited by Metzger and his organization.
Reed said a person called the Huntington Beach Civic Center on Tuesday, inquiring about a possible rally in Central Park to benefit Metzger. The man, who did not give his name or a possible date for the rally, inquired only about procedures for obtaining a permit, Reed said.
Reed said that in cases where police are determined necessary for an event, the sponsoring organization is required to pay for the costs.
Metzger has been a controversial figure in Orange County for years. In the mid-1980s, Metzger used the recording studios at Cal State Fullerton to tape cable television programs urging separation of the races. Students and faculty protested for weeks.
Metzger ultimately moved to a public-access cable-TV studio.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
