"Park Patrol" and Hate Crimes:
Billings Skinheads Charged under Federal Law
A group of racist skinheads who were targeting and harassing ethnic minorities has been charged under federal hate crimes law. The six skinheads, members of the Montana Front Working Class Skinheads, say they were preparing for a race war.
The current charges against Eric Dixon, Sean Allen, Ryan Flaherty, Michael Flom, Jason Potter and Jeremiah Skidmore involve what they called "Park Patrol." New recruits patrolled Billings' Pioneer Park with orders to threaten and harass any minorities who entered the park. Armed with clubs, chains, bats, and metal bars, the skinheads have been charged with threatening an African American and chasing two Hispanic people while yelling racial slurs. The group's leadership promised new recruits red bootlaces or suspenders, a status symbol among racist skinheads worldwide, for participating in "Park Patrol."
The Working Class Skinheads formed in March 2000. Two of the leaders, Eric Dixon and Sean Allen, were already known to harbor racist beliefs. In 1997, the two were convicted of using a pipe bomb to blow up a stop sign in Bozeman, MT. While investigation the case, law enforcement discovered racist literature and a Nazi flag, along with more pipe-bomb making materials and various firearms. The bombing drew the attention of law enforcement and the media, because PRIDE's annual gay rights parade was to be held around the same time in Bozeman.