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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