Surf-Side Hatemongering : Huntington Beach must draw a line in sand against skinheads

Huntington Beach, a.k.a. “Surf City,” would certainly prefer to be known for its waves rather than its skinheads, and for that matter so would the rest of Orange County. Nevertheless, despite observations of experts that hatemongering is a nationwide phenomenon, Huntington Beach keeps finding itself with an outsized public-relations problem that won’t go away.

Last Saturday night, a 20-year-old Native American on the beach apparently did not have the “right answer” for a self-described klansman, 20, who police say asked whether the victim believed in “white power.” The victim was stabbed 27 times. Three suspects have been charged in the assault. Two years ago, an African American man was shot to death outside a fast-food restaurant in the city, and two skinheads now await trial in that case.

In addition to such dramatic hate crimes, there is a palpable feeling of uneasiness among some local business people and minorities in Huntington Beach about skinheads who congregate downtown. The local sense of the size of the problem seems, as in the past, to be somewhat mixed: There are those who believe that incidents like last weekend’s stabbing are isolated and there are those who believe there is a serious problem.

In recent years, some Huntington Beach detectives have specialized in hate groups, so it is not as though the city has been unmindful of its attraction for unsavory characters. While hate groups may be scattered throughout Southern California, the level of skinhead intimidation in the downtown area of Huntington Beach has left far too many people on guard and nervous about the atmosphere.

Enough is enough. Huntington Beach police rightly intend to increase their presence on Main Street, a show of force meant to send a message to hate groups that such intimidation will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, Huntington Beach City Council members plan to meet with Orange County Human Relations Commission officials on the issue. Wherever hate groups may choose to gather, they should be put on notice that the civil rights of all people in this country will honored and protected.