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Shofar FTP Archive File: people/a/alsbrook.bart/press/alsbrook-runs-skinhead-site


Dallas Morning News
April 20, 1996 (1A & 19A)

          Dallas man runs Internet skinhead site

By Todd Copilevitz
Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News

     Police say photographs of beatings not illegal

Using photos of people being beaten to promote his cause, a
Dallas man is running one of the Internet's first and largest
skinhead information and and recruiting Web sites.

Hate groups, such as militant militias and white nationalists,
have for years used the Internet to communicate among
themselves and recruit, experts said. But the Skinheads U.S.A.
site goes further in espousing violence than anything else
they've seen.

"Until now we've never seen skinheads taking pictures of their
handiwork," said Mark Briskman, regional director of the
Anti-Defamation League. "It reminds me of Nazi Germany and the
way they meticulously documented all their atrocities in
stills and on film."

Public files on the Internet show the site's author to be Bart
Alsbrook. Police said the 28-year-old North Dallas man has a
lengthy history of skinhead-related offenses.

Mr. Alsbrook, who identifies himself on line as Bootboy,
declined repeated requests for an interview after he initially
agreed to talk about his work.

The Skinheads U.S.A. site makes no bones about its intent.

"This page is designed to correspond with other White
Nationalists on the Internet and to provide links, addresses
and phone numbers of other Pro White groups," an introduction
to the site says. "It's directly mainly toward Skinheads and
the more 'in your face' crowd.

Beneath the introduction is a photograph of at least three
people kicking and jumping on a black male, who is lying face
down with his arms out. Another photo in the site, titled "The
Mexican Getting Smashed," shows two men beating a bleeding
victim.

The site links users to more than 40 other locations. With the
click of a mouse, visitors can move to sites by white
separatists, neo-Nazis and skinhead bands. Those sites have
names such as Stormfront, White Aryan Resistance and National
Alliance.

The Skinheads U.S.A. site also includes a library of
skinhead-related artwork and links to anti-separatist sites,
along with sarcastic comments about them.

Mr. Alsbrook's Internet service provider, Dallas-based
Internet America, was unaware of the site, said vice president
Tim Martin. But unless content on the site is breaking the
law, there is little the company can do, he said.

"We're not in the business of censoring what our customers
post, it's not possible with 25,000 to 30,000 customers, nor
is it something we want to do," Mr. Martin said. "If, however,
there's anything illegal about a site, we cooperate fully with
the police and FBI."

There is nothing illegal about Mr. Alsbrook's effort, although
the photos may be evidence of a crime, police said.

Internet America's position is standard for Internet service
providers who sell their computer space for web sites.
Attempts in Congress to require companies to regulate their
customers failed last year.

While there are dozens of other white power sites on the Net,
it's the presence of apparent crime-scene photos that surprise
those who have studied how extremists use the Net. 

"Some of the groups on line have posted recipes for
bomb-making and talked about minorities in very demeaning
ways. But I don't think there's anything else out there this
blunt," says Gail Gans, national associate director of
research for the Anti-Defamation League.

Last month, the organization released a report on the
exploitation of the Internet by extremists. It described the
Skinheads U.S.A. site as one of the first and few areas of the
World Wide Web dedicated to skinheads.

The report, The Web of Hate, detailed how militant militia,
white separatists, neo-Nazis and skinheads have taken to the
Net. Through private E-mail, public discussions in news groups
and graphic-laden Web sites, some of the groups have
established links that crisscross the globe.

Some are following detailed plans for drawing potential new
members to their messages. Others wander the Net, disrupting
unrelated discussions and targeting their traditional victims,
but in a new environment.

"The aim of the various hate groups has been to link up with
each other on line. It builds the notion that they have more
going for them than perhaps they really do," Ms. Gans said.

There is nothing on the site that links it to Dallas other
than the Internet address, which refers to a local company
that the author used to post his material. Dallas police were
unaware of the on-line effort, although they are well-aware of
the man behind it.

Mr. Alsbrook is a hard-core skinhead with a string of minor
convictions in Dallas Country, including criminal trespass and
one unspecified conspiracy charge, said Detective Truly Holmes
of the Dallas Police Intelligence Unit. Last fall he was
charged with attempted murder of a former skinhead, in which
the victim was stabbed 24 times. That charge was later dropped
when the victim refused to testify.

"Bart's one of those guys who's always a suspect when the
skinheads get in trouble," said Sgt. Terry Martin of the
intelligence unit.

After learning about Mr. Alsbrook's Web site, the detectives
said they planned to study the photos to see if they match
any assaults under investigation. Neither investigator had
ever heard of skinheads photographing their handiwork.

"We're going through our files and asked the Crimes Against
Persons detectives to do the same to see if we can figure out
who these victims are," Sgt. Martin said. But detectives were
doubtful that the [sic] find enough detail in the photos to
identify the victims or attackers.

Investigators and the ADL said they believed that the skinhead
movement in Dallas was still in disarray after a series of
federal prosecutions more than four years ago. They described
the organization as loose-knit with no clear leadership.

Mr. Alsbrook's efforts on-line may cloud that picture
somewhat.

"He has a history of activity and is continuing with a level
of violence. Now he's added to his repertoire with a certain
sophistication," Mr. Briskman said. "That makes him a person
who continues to concern us. The question is does he have the
ability to fill a charismatic leadership position."

The ADL is not advocating any action to force his site off the
Net, and Ms. Gans notes that the international, unregulated
nature of the Internet makes it virtually impossible to police
content.

"Stopping these guys is impossible. How can you get it off the
Net when they have so many means of access just as quickly as
you can react?" she said.

Instead, the ADL created a Web site (http://www.adl.org) that
seeks to expose hate sites and counters the more prevalent
arguments such groups offer, she said.

The skinheads on-line activities may be the result of
information other extremists have spread around the Net,
according to the ADL report. In particular, the groups
highlight the postings of Milton Kleim, Jr., who often calls
himself Net Nazi Number One.

Mr. Kleim has repeatedly posted a treatise outlining how white
separatists can effectively use the Net for recruiting.

He encourages "cyber guerrillas" to invade newsgroups, or
discussion areas, of nonracist topics and to post inflammatory
messages that are only vaguely tied to the actual topic.

For example, he suggests that in the rec.foods discussion
group, someone should post a message deriding "kosher tax." In
newsgroups such as talk.politics.guns, Mr. Kleim tells
supporters to promote "suppressed" books, namely white
supremacist publications.

Every message has the potential to recruit new members, he
said. The messages should include directions for finding more
information, he writes, mainly separatists newsgroups, such as
alt.politics.white-power or Web sites such as Mr. Alsbrook's.

"now is the time to grasp the weapon which is the Net, and
wield it skillfully and wisely while you may still do so
freely," he urges in his introduction.

= 30 =



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