"Reverend" Dan Hassett Named "Creator of the Year"
Missoula's Dan Hassett, a reverend for the racist World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), was honored as one of WCOTC's Creators of the Year. The award is given annually to the most active WCOTC member or members. Hassett joins Benjamin Smith in gaining this recognition. Smith, the WCOTC member who went on a shooting spree in Chicago last summer that left two people dead and nine injured, earned the honor for 1998.
According to WCOTC's The Struggle, Hassett received the award because of the many literature drops he conducted during 1999. In the past few years, Hassett has distributed copies of a racist and anti-Semitic pamphlet entitled Facts the Media and Government Don't Want You to Know throughout Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley. As a response to these drops, the Network held a block party in front of Hassett's house last summer so communities affected by the literature could celebrate their neighborhood and condemn Hassett's propaganda at the same time. Hassett's latest drop took place near the end of January in Victor, Montana, where nearly all the homes received a copy. According to The Struggle, Hassett's reward is $50 worth of WCOTC products, including literature and video tapes.
Another "Creator of the Year" for 1999 was Christy Weiss. Weiss is the former girlfriend of Benjamin Smith. The Struggle praised Weiss for continuing to distribute literature in Chicago after the shootings, saying it was done "to the utter consternation of our enemies." Both Weiss and Hassett attended last summer's Northwest Rendezvous in Superior, Montana. They were among about 10 people who attended WCOTC's annual event held at Reverend Slim Deardorff's shack.