Sunday, August 12, 2012
The shooter in Sunday's Sikh Temple slayings was connected to the white-supremacy music scene. Does that sort of expression deserve First Amendment protection?
Last Sunday’s tragic shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek turned another spotlight on “hate speech” when the shooter, Wade Michael Page, was connected to the white-supremacy music scene, also known as “hatecore.” Earlier this summer, a different version of hate speech came to southeast Wisconsin when members of the tiny but vocal Westboro Baptist Church picketed in front of churches in Brookfield and Oak Creek. They carried signs with phrases such as “God Hates Fags” and “Your Pastors are Whores.” While one seemed at least loosely connected to a grisly mass murder and the other resulted in an uneventful protest, both forms of expression are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says: Congress …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Authorities have also revealed that Page died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he was shot by an Oak Creek police officer.
Authorities have conducted more than 100 interviews with people around the country and issued some 180 subpoenas, but are still seeking a better understanding about Wade Michael Page's motives for entering the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek and opening fire. Officials also revealed in a Wednesday news conference that Page died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head after he was shot by an Oak Creek police officer outside the temple Sunday morning. The investigation into Page has spanned the country, as the 40-year-old moved around a lot. His reasons for moving to the Milwaukee area are believed to center around a girlfriend named Misty Cook. The FBI has talked extensively with Cook since Sunday, special agent in charge Teresa Carlson said, but …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Port Washington is one of many agencies that contributed resources during the ongoing investigation of the shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.
About 200 officers from throughout southeastern Wisconsin came to Oak Creek to help after the mass shooting Sunday at a Sikh temple, including a group of four Port Washington officers on Tuesday. Port Washington Police Chief Kevin Hingiss said the officers were on scene from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday; among the officers who went were Lt. Eric Leet, Officer Eric Schmeling, Officer Jason Bergin and Officer Jerry Nye. "Our officers kept the scene secure for Oak Creek Police," Hingiss said in an e-mail to Patch. "I do not anticipate our officers helping out (later this week)." Law enforcement is still investigating the incident in which Wade Michael Page opened fire and killed six people gathered for morning services at the Sikh Temple of …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy was the first officer to the scene and was ambushed and shot up to nine times while attempting to help an injured victim. When support arrived, he refused help and ordered officers to go into the temple and help others.
Just more than 24 hours after the tragic mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, stories of heroes are emerging as details from the incident are revealed. When an unintelligible call came into the Oak Creek Police Department from a person inside the temple, 21-year department veteran Lt. Brian Murphy entered his squad and was first to the horrific scene just four minutes later. Murphy immediately came upon a wounded victim in the parking lot of the temple, and rushed to assist the person. At that moment, Murphy found himself in a situation most officers will only have to prepare for in their careers. While he was helping the victim, the 51-year-old officer was ambushed by the shooter — now identified as Wade Michael …
The gunman in Sunday's Sikh Temple shooting is a Colorado native who led a music group that has been classified as one supporting white-supremacist ideology. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1998 after six years of service.
The 40-year-old Army veteran identified as the shooter inside an Oak Creek Sikh Temple on Sunday was a Colorado native who sang and played guitar in a band that may have had white-supremacist motives. Wade Michael Page, who was residing in a rented duplex in Cudahy, appeared in 2010 in an interview on Label56.com — which the Southern Poverty Law Center identified as being a white supremacist website. The discussion focused around his band, End Apathy. "I am originally from Colorado and had always been independent, but back in 2000 I set out to get involved and wanted to basically start over," Page said in the interview. "End Apathy began in 2005 and the concept was based on trying to figure out what it would take to actually accomplish …
Eugene Barufkin
10:55 pm on Monday, August 13, 2012
You can not be selective. However, - Blatant disruption of solemn events is one issue that gets a BIG NO from me, Should respectful public advocacy, or not be allowed - Should be the real issue. YES from me! more ›