Network Meets With Hutterites:
Arson Smacks of Religious Bigotry
Hutterite leaders met with the Montana Human
Rights Network and the Montana Association of Churches to
discuss their vulnerability following the arson on their
property. About 30 Hutterites met with about eight
members of the Network at the Eagle Creek colony on April
24th and looked for ways to relieve tensions in
neighboring communities.
In the early morning hours of March 8th , under the
cover of darkness, someone broke into a Quonset hut in
rural southeast Toole County and set it on fire.
Over $70,000 worth of lumber went up in smoke with the
building. The materials were owned by Hutterites
ready to build their new Camrose colony.
The Human Rights Network and the Shelby Promoter
urged authorities to investigate the fire as a hate
crime. Two months later, despite the involvement of
the FBI, no one has been arrested. When the press
asks about the investigation, law enforcement officials
say they're getting close.
Until an arrest is made and a motive is known, the
question of whether the arson was a hate crime can not be
answered. However, many of the classic elements are
present.
A clearly identifiable religious minority was the
target of the crime. Hutterites' distinctive dress
and German accent set them apart in communities where
they reside.
Resentment toward Hutterites appears to be
growing. Prior to the large fire, two other smaller
incidents of arson were reported in the Shelby
Promoter. Law enforcement officials told the
Network staffer, Christine Kaufmann that a cistern had
been poisoned with pesticides. Neighbors reported
rumors that a Hutterite-owned building had been
ransacked. According to Kaufmann, "the
arsonist may have been feeding on this resentment and
decided to try to drive the Hutterites out."
Part of the resentment seems to stem from the
Hutterites' success. Hutterites face the same
economic forces as their neighbors-- the same low prices
for commodities, the same complexities of international
trade. However, their communal living arrangement
has insulated them from the brunt of these forces and
contributed to their ability to farm successfully in a
time of economic stress. They are able to pay cash
for large tracts of farm land needed to support their
growing communities as neighboring farmers
struggle.
Hutterite author Paul Gross, who died just a month
ago, acknowledged that their success has brought
resentment. "To them [non-Hutterite neighbors]
we appear to be economic competitors who deliberately
plan our way of life so as to compete more efficiently
with our neighbors. But serious students of our way
of life have discovered that the basis of our communal
existence is not economic but religious. . . Fortunately
for us, America is a free democratic country where
everyone can worship God according to the dictates of his
own heart."
Who are the Hutterites?
Hutterites are a German Christian minority that
originated during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th
Century. Their forebearers were the Anabaptists
who, unlike both the Catholic church and Luther's
Protestants, believed adults should be baptized. They
made an effort to pattern their lives after the earliest
Christian communities as described in the New
Testament.
Anabaptists suffered intense persecution at the
hands of both Catholics and Protestants during their
early existence. Numerous leaders, including Jacob
Hutter, were drowned or burned alive for their
beliefs.
Among modern groups that derive from the
Anabaptists, including Mennonites and Amish, Hutterites
have remained most faithful to the New Testament
principle of living together in community and sharing all
goods in common. Unlike Mennonites, they have no
individual ownership of any goods. They have kept
themselves far more separate from society, preferring a
quiet existence away from the political life of rural
communities. Unlike the Amish, they accept modern
conveniences. They drive motor vehicles and use
modern farming practices, including highly automated and
computerized systems.
Deep-seeded resentment
Adversity was well-known among the Hutterites of
the past. Then their leaders were burned
alive. Now it's just their property.
The Montana community has been slow to respond with
a public outcry against the violence. While most
neighbors are quick to assure Network staff they don't
condone the arson, many are also quick to voice
resentment toward the Hutterites' economic viability.
Some have seriously suggested that Hutterites be
prevented from buying land. Many repeat common
misconceptions that Hutterites don't pay taxes, go on
welfare, steal from local businesses, and don't give
anything back to the community.
Because of their communal living arrangements and
special agreements with the government, the tax code
treats Hutterites differently. They are not exempt
from taxation as a religious community. Hutterites
file individual federal income tax returns based on the
income of the entire colony divided among all its
members. The state has elected to require
Hutterites to pay corporation taxes instead of state
income taxes. This generates more revenue for the
state. In many counties where they reside,
Hutterites are also the largest property tax
payers.
In their agreement with the government, Hutterites
promise to take care of their members in exchange for not
paying social security. They also rarely collect
it. They have their own medical savings account and
only in extreme and unusual circumstances do they need
additional help. They do accept Medicare, but they pay
for it as all other citizens do. Because Hutterites
do not pay wages to their workers, they don't pay
employment taxes. Hutterites point out that while
they don't pay wages, they provide all living expenses
for all their workers and their families year
round. They don't have the economic benefit of
being able to lay off employees when the work is done.
When Network staff contacted several welfare and
social security officials, they said welfare information
was confidential and was not broken down according to
religious affiliation, but that Hutterites were not
eligible for food stamps or any cash assistance
programs. They would be judged for Medicaid
or SSI like any other Montanan, but officials believed
Hutterites have rarely accepted benefits even when they
qualified. A Hutterite man told the Network there
were a few cases when it occurred; however, in his own
case, the colony was supporting over $30,000 in medical
bills for his daughter with cystic fibrosis rather than
accept Medicaid, even though they would qualify.
County law enforcement officials assured Network
staff they did not know of any case in which Hutterites
had been charged with stealing or any other crime.
"As for giving back to the community,"
said Kaufmann, "I saw a fire truck whose engine
needed to be rebuilt because it had worked too hard
putting out three grass fires on neighbors property in
the previous two days. It was costing the
Hutterites $5,000 in parts." (The labor of course
was just thrown in.) Hutterites say that despite
their self-sufficiency, they spend hundreds of thousands
of dollars in the local economy.
"As for preventing Hutterites from expanding
their land holdings, what about the Constitution?"
Kaufmann asked. "Maybe we can prevent Jews,
Catholics or Californians from buying land, too."