Racists Relocate
Two racists who spent much of the 1990s in Montana are now making headlines in other areas of the country. Chris Temple, formerly of the Flathead area, is working with the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) in the south. Roger Roots, formerly of the Billings area, is trying to get licensed to practice law in Rhode Island.
The latest Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report says Chris Temple is receiving a "few hundred thousand dollars" from CCC to upgrade its publications. CCC was founded in 1985 and continues the legacy of the White Citizens Council of the 1950s and 60s which opposed the civil rights movement. CCC calls itself a "racialist" organization concerned with preserving white culture. Ex-Klansman David Duke has been a featured speaker at CCC events. CCC made headlines last year when it was discovered that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott had spoken to the group in 1992.
Temple was a well-known white supremacist in Montana. Until 1998, he ran Phoenix Financial Services in Kalispell. His offices are now in Spooner, Wisconsin. He touts himself as a financial consultant and publishes the National Investor. He founded United Citizens for Justice with John Trochmann and Louis Beam in 1992. The group was a precursor to Trochmann's Militia of Montana. Temple was also a featured speaker at Aryan Nations's 1996 World Congress. He is still listed as a contributing writer for the Christian Identity tabloid, The Jubilee.
Another racist activist with Montana connections has resurfaced elsewhere. Roger Roots has graduated from the Ralph R. Papitto School of Law at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Roots has applied to the Rhode Island Bar to be licensed to practice law. The Network became very familiar with Roots when he sued MHRN for $3.7 million for libel in 1994. In 1997, a jury ruled in MHRN's favor. In 1996, he held a rally with Rudy Stanko, a reverend for the racist World Church of the Creator. Like Temple, Roots is listed as a contributing writer for The Jubilee.
Roots find himself in a position similar to Matt Hale, leader of the World Church of the Creator. Hale graduated from law school and applied to the Illinois Bar. He was rejected because of his racist beliefs and took his case to the Illinois Supreme Court. It was thrown out and Hale claims he is appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.