Skinhead Violence Rising, Officials Say

Skinhead violence has soared in recent months, making the problem a top priority for law enforcement officials, Sheriff Bob Brooks said Friday.

Such violence is “where we see the most immediate threat to the public,” Brooks said. “We’re getting more violent incidents from these groups than any other.”

Incidents, including brawls at parties, assaults, witness intimidation and homicide, have been linked to the burgeoning skinhead group, authorities said, forcing law enforcement officials to devote more resources to combating the problem.

For the Sheriff’s Department, that has meant sending its crime suppression unit--created to handle crime hot spots--into areas where supremacists are wreaking havoc.

“When they break the law, we are there,” Brooks said. “We don’t harass them, but we enforce the law. And we’re getting to know these individuals.”

Right now, the problem is heaviest in the Avenue area of Ventura, stretching into the Ojai Valley and Meiners Oaks, authorities said. Ventura police say about five white supremacist gangs live in Ventura and total about 150 members. But countless more “associates” of the gangs--not official members, but in the same social group--live in the western part of the county, authorities said.

Members of the skinhead culture have been linked to at least two homicides in Ventura and Meiners Oaks.