Christmas Traditions: From Festivus fisticuffs to fried caterpillars

By Brad Smith

‘Tis the season to talk about Christmas traditions throughout the world.

For years, people have embraced the so-called fictional holiday, Festivus. The holiday was first mentioned in an episode of Seinfeld. Personally, I never liked the show – I found all of the characters highly annoying and unlikeable – but I did find the idea of Festivus somewhat amusing. Reportedly, a Seinfeld staff writer’s family had been celebrating Festivus since 1966; Dan O’Keefe’s father Daniel had the holiday as an anniversary celebration of his first date with his future wife and Dan’s mother, Deborah. As detailed in the December 23, 1997, episode, “The Strike,” there is the “airing of grievances,” that happens during dinner: Yes, each person present describes how others have disappointed them over the past year. After the meal, the “feats of strength” ensue, including wrestling with the head of the household to the floor . . . and if and when they’re pinned, the holiday concludes.

According to O’Keefe, there was never a Festivus Pole.

Since then, throughout the world, yes, Festivus has been celebrated on Dec. 23.

However, for many years, a similar holiday tradition has been celebrated in Chumbivilcas, a Peruvian province in the Cusco Region. It’s called Takanakuy – in the regional language Quechua, it means “when the blood is boiling” or “to hit each other,” depending on the source.

On Christmas Day, communities throughout Latin America typically hold large public celebrations, with people in colorful costumes, lots of food, drink, music and dancing. In communities throughout the Cusco Region, however, celebrants flock to the local sporting arenas or public squares for Takanakuy and watch as people of all ages, kids to the elderly, men and women alike, engage in fist fights.

Yes.

Single combat.

Takanakuy is how grievances that people have had with one another over the past year are resolved. Be they personal matters or civil disputes, two people slug it out after calling one another out by name. The victor is decided by knockout or intervention by an official. According to tradition, Takanakuy is how people settle conflicts and resolve to spend the new year living peacefully with one another, strengthening community and even familial bonds.

Until more grievances arise.

The Philippines has the highest population of Catholics in the world. At midnight Sept. 1, radio stations start playing Christmas music, lights and decorations appear everywhere. The city of San Fernando, known as the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines,” hosts Ligligan Parul Sampernandu, the Giant Lantern Festival. Surrounding villages compete against one another as they build large, elaborate lanterns; Japanese origami paper was originally used but now more modern materials are used and the lanterns with their kaleidoscope patterns are lit up by lightbulbs rather than candles.

Some lanterns can be nearly 20 feet in diameter.

In Japan, Christmas isn’t a national holiday but some still observe it . . . by eating chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken in particular. Back in 1974, some savvy salaryman came up with a marketing campaign called “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii” or “Kentucky for Christmas.” Ever since then, Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii has proven to be very popular in Japan. How popular? Well, KFC restaurants start taking advance orders for holiday meals as far back as September or October or it’s a two or three-hour-long line of people wanting their Christmas chicken meal. Employees also dress as Santa Claus too.

Iceland has a number of Christmas traditions. A small nation yet one with one of the highest literacy rates, there’s the Jólabókaflóðið – the Christmas Book Flood. On Christmas Eve, books – the most popular holiday gift in Iceland – are exchanged and people stay up all night, reading their new books and drinking hot chocolate.

And while most countries observe the 12 Days of Christmas, Iceland has thirteen. Each night leading up to Christmas, the thirteen Yule Lads make their rounds as kids place one shoe in their bedroom window. Good kids get candy and the bad ones get rotten, stinking potatoes. The Yule Lads are elf-like creatures and were once depicted as being somewhat malevolent at times. Over the years, they’ve become more mischievous.

Their mother Grýla, however, is a horrific ogress living in the mountains. She’s always on the prowl around Christmas, searching for naughty children to throw in her cauldron of boiling hot water.

Icelandic folklore also has a large black cat that prowls the country on Christmas Eve – everyone must get new clothes and if not, the Christmas Cat will kill and eat them.

Be thankful for those new socks or ties, okay?

In Barbados at Christmastime, people eat Jug Jug: Influenced by Scottish immigrants, it’s a dish that combines salted meat, pigeon peas, guinea corn flour and herbs. Glazed ham and rum also round out holiday meals.

Going back to pagan beliefs, on Christmas Eve, Norwegians hide all of the household brooms in closets, in the fear that evil witches will take them and fly about all night.

That said, in parts of Italy, a good witch named Belfana travels about, leaving gifts and candy for kids.

Instead of candy, kids in South Africa snack on delicious fried caterpillars. Seriously.

If you’re ever in Caracas, Venezuela during Christmastime, be prepared to see people wearing rollerblades; skating to church services is so common that officials keep vehicles off the roads.

For years now, some people have Christmas dinner at Chinese restaurants. Over a century ago, Jewish immigrants could dine out on Christmas because everything was shut down. Save for Chinese restaurants. By the late 19th Century, Jewish and Chinese immigrants often lived close to one another, so, proximity was a factor. Another was that the Chinese didn’t adhere to antisemitic views held by other European immigrants or Americans. They felt safe there.

As New York restauranter Michael Tong said in a 2003 New York Times interview:

“Welcome to the conundrum that is Christmas New York style: While most restaurants close for the holiday, or in a few cases, stay open and serve a prix fixe meal laden with froufrou, thousands of diners, most of them Jewish, are faced with a dilemma. There's nothing to celebrate at home and no place to eat out, at least if they want a regular dinner. That leaves Chinese restaurants . . . .”

When the film A Christmas Story was released in November 1983, the practice of having Chinese food for a holiday meal gained more popularity.

Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas and a Blessed Yule.

 

Accused murderer Keegan faces trial next year

More than a year after his death, Aidan Ellison's killer will be in court

By Brad Smith

MEDFORD, Ore. – According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, accused murderer Robert Keegan, 48, will be facing trial more than a year after shooting a young, unarmed Black man.

“(Keegan) will have a Feb. 24, 2022 court appearance and the trial is slated to start on Feb. 28,” said Benjamin Lull, a deputy district attorney. “DDA Samantha Olson will be the co-counsel. It should last about three weeks.”

By then, it will be one year, three months and eight days since Keegan shot and killed 19-year-old Aidan Ellison outside Ashland’s Stratford Inn. An Almeda Fire survivor, he was reportedly sitting in his car, which was located in the motel’s parking lot and listening to music. Keegan, who was also a fire survivor, was reportedly awakened by loud music at around 4 a.m. He went outside and allegedly asked Ellison to turn down the music.

Ellison reportedly declined to do that.

Court records added a few more details to the incident. Keegan told police that he returned to his room, got dressed, put the 9mm semiauto pistol in his jacket pocket and went to the front desk. He spoke to an employee about his concerns. The employee then went out to the parking lot and spoke with Ellison. As they talked, Keegan went outside and then confronted the young man. That is how the argument started. Keegan claimed that Ellison attacked him.

Reportedly, the murder suspect told police officers that he had “racked a round and shot Ellison in the chest because he was in fear for his personal safety.”

A former law enforcement officer said they were “concerned” by Keegan’s account.

“’Racked a round?’ That’s something you find in badly written private eye stories or other macho pulp crap novels,” they said. “It’s my opinion – my opinion, mind you – that Keegan was the aggressor here. He was looking for a confrontation. It sounds like the motel employee was doing their job and (Keegan) made things worse. In my opinion, (Keegan) is just another macho fuckup with a gun and a bad attitude.”

Keegan claimed that Ellison hit him in the face a number of times and that he acted in self-defense by shooting him. However, the autopsy showed that Ellison’s hands lacked bruising or marks consistent with a physical assault. More to the point, Keegan’s face wasn’t bruised or marked.

Keegan was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm (Keegan didn't have a concealed weapon permit) and recklessly endangering another person – he fired the weapon near a motel employee. He was booked into the Jackson County Jail and has been there ever since.

Ellison’s murder came after months of protests from Black Lives Matter supporters and their allies – which were countered by right wing extremists’ outcries. There was outrage throughout the Southern Oregon area and even ire at some local media outlets. Some news outlets went into detail about Keegan’s alleged plight as someone displaced by September’s Almeda Fire while extraordinarily little was said about the victim. Making it even worse were others who demanded to see Ellison’s alleged criminal record – which, to date, none has materialized.

As some local media outlets published articles about a vigil on social media, racism reared its ugly head from time to time. It got so bad that in one case, KTVL banned “Elijah Rebel Kruis” for promoting hate speech, they said. Kruis’ Facebook page was adorned with Confederate flags and far-right posts. Others, like William Meehan, Jr. and Ronald King, blamed Ellison for playing “crap rap music” too loud and said the victim was being “disrespectful.” In short, they victim shamed.

Last month, on the year anniversary of Ellison’s murder, the Truth to Power Club held a mural dedication ceremony at the Ashland High School. The group said the mural was honoring Ellison’s life along with the lives of Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color leaders, both activists and artists alike. In true Southern Oregon fashion, local bigots blasted the comments section, wasting no time as they attacked and victim-shamed Ellison.

It was reported that Keegan didn’t have a criminal record, something his defenders commented about. However, in 2012, his then-wife filed a restraining order against him when they lived in Coos County. She claimed that Keegan was both physically and emotionally abusive to both her and their son. Fearing for her safety, she went into hiding and has tried to regain custody of her son. She told The Rogue Free Press that she received threats from Keegan prior to the shooting.

Since the shooting, there have been claims from a few motel employees saying Keegan was “disruptive and aggressive” during his stay. Some hinted that there were concerns about his behavior and some staffers wanted him relocated elsewhere. 

Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity (SOEquity) research director Dominique Toyer said this: “Here in the Rogue Valley, Black people are navigating through a predominantly white area in a time where a 17-year-old white kid can be a vigilante but Aidan couldn’t play his music in a parking lot. Black folks are constantly surrounded by our white neighbors and coworkers who are able to comfortably discuss if Black pain is legitimate. I am so tired of white rage and white complacency dictating if my Blackness is worthy of justice.”

Toyer wished that more people would take a stand against racism and other forms of oppression. “Neutrality doesn't make you a good person and I really wish more people understood that,” she said.

Lull said updates would be made should there be changes in the trial scheduling.

Arrest warrant issued for ex Gold Hill employee

Carry Booker was accused of theft and falsifying records

By Brad Smith

GOLD HILL, Ore. – A warrant for a former Gold Hill city employee was issued after she failed to make a court appearance.

Carry Kay Booker (aka Carry Randall) was scheduled to make a 9 a.m. court appearance on July 7.

Booker was employed as a clerk and worked in the city hall offices. In the wake of Harry Staven’s departure as city manager – which was reportedly tumultuous and brief – city/manager Jessica Simpson started looking at the finances. The alleged theft was discovered as she was reconciling bank statements.

A forensic audit was requested and completed by June of that year. After turning the evidence over to law enforcement, the Jackson County District Attorney’s office elected to pursue charges against the former employee. Booker was indicted by a grand jury on April 28 for her alleged role in the theft of monies.

She is facing four counts of first-degree theft and two counts of falsifying business records.

The warrant for her arrest was issued on July 16.

In a press release, it was stated, “The City remains hopeful that justice will be served, and thanks the residents for their patience while awaiting resolution in this matter.”

Rumors of the alleged thefts plagued local social media pages for months. Former city councilor Christine Alford claimed that other city employees were involved with the thefts one way or another. Last summer, Alford caused problems at a Dollar General store when she confronted a city employee and verbally assaulted them, as well as making accusations the employee was a part of the alleged thefts.

Alford was soon asked to leave the store as she reportedly spewed profanities during the incident.

Alford later claimed that law enforcement officers had in their possession audio recordings implicating other city employees.

“That’s news to me,” Simpson said earlier this year. “I haven’t been told about that and the investigation only found one suspect.”

Assistant Deputy Attorney Ruby Herriot of the Jackson Co. D.A.’s Office is prosecuting the case.

The Bully Pulpit

For a number of years, the RV Saltshakers have used their bully pulpit to go after healthcare providers and the LGBTQ community. Some are pushing back.

Top: The RV Saltshakers placed signs with hate messages on a church lawn. Below: Saltshaker Jon Peterman is caught on video as he hurled racial slurs. Photos courtesy of RV Pepper Shakers.

By Brad Smith

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – For the last few years, a hate group have disrupted life for some here in the Rogue Valley as they harass and bully those they disagree with or challenges them.

They have targeted events and individuals from Ashland and Talent to churches in Grants Pass. They have caused problems at Boatnik, the Pear Blossoms Parade, Talent’s fall festival and even Ashland’s holiday parade.

They are called the RV Saltshakers and they’ve weaponized religion to suit their agenda, their critics say.

Newman United Methodist Church’s Rev. Ryan Scott expected some cultural differences when he came to this part of southern Oregon in July 2019, having served in United Methodist churches in Eugene, Springfield and other communities. “Before being assigned to Grants Pass, I was at a church in Toledo, just outside of Newport,” he said. “I’ve been exposed to both conservative and progressive mindsets over the years. The congregation was very welcoming and I felt at ease here. I love it here.”

However, over the past few months, his church has had some issues with the Saltshakers. Scott said a small number of Saltshakers have appeared on Sunday mornings, standing on the sidewalk along the church property. They first appeared in February – not long after the church displayed a Pride flag.

Scott said he had heard about the Saltshakers disrupting a number of local events over the years. There were some incidents in which Saltshakers verbally assaulted congregation members and even attempted to block access to the church.

“Police were called and (the Saltshakers) were told to stay off church property,” he said. “Since then, there haven’t been any incidents. We did have our flag and Black Lives Matter signs stolen. They were replaced and it got to the point no one bothered them again.”

Scott has tried “extending the olive branch.” During hot weather, he has offered the protestors water to drink. It was, he added, the Christian thing to do.

“They always refuse the water,” he said. “And they don’t seem too communicative, either.”

The RV Saltshakers claim to be “evangelical Christians who are doing God’s work.” Spearheaded by a man named Jon Clement, the Saltshakers can be found picketing women’s health clinics and displaying very graphic pictures of aborted fetuses. They also have signs with trans- and homophobic messages on them.

The Saltshakers are abortion abolitionists: From the Abolish Human Abortion website, it’s stated that “. . . .  Abolitionists reject the idea that you can effectively fight evil by allowing it in some cases or do away with it by planned out incremental steps which preserve it along the way. Abolitionists reject the notion that you can ever commit evil in order that good may come. Abolitionists cry NO COMPROMISE!!! Pro-lifers cry “get the best that you can get when you can get it,” and consistently support the ‘lesser of two evils.’”

Abolitionists advocate more aggressive tactics and the use of graphic signs and posters. They also have animosity to the Catholic Church (Catholics pray to angels, for instance) and the LGBTQ community. More information can be found here: https://abolishhumanabortion.com/

Some have joined the Saltshakers and spent time with them – only to later leave. Growing up in Ashland, Gabriel Macias would watch the Saltshakers in action. In 2015, Macias saw the Saltshakers protesting and he decided to check it out. During an earlier interview with The Rogue Free Press, he opened up about his experiences with the Saltshakers.

“It was in the fall. That’s when it happened,” he said. “I was at the Ashland High School and one day, right across the street, I saw these people – they had signs, megaphones, they were chanting. I was curious, very curious. So, I went over to talk to them.”

That’s when Macias first met Jon Clement, the Saltshakers’ leader, and Mason Goodknight of the Community Outreach Evangelism or CORE, based out of Roseburg. Both men took an interest in him.

“They were very friendly, welcoming,” he said. “They asked me a lot of questions, they started talking to me about God, Jesus, things like that. They seemed like they wanted to be my friends.”

And, Macias said, that is part of the trap.

“Many in the Saltshakers, especially Clement and senior members, are predatory,” he said. “I mean, they find your weaknesses and target them, that’s how they get your guard down and get you to join. They knew I didn’t have a strong support system, they knew my father wasn’t a part of my life. Clement and Goodknight, along with the others, acted like they were more than friends, like surrogate family members.”

Macias said he was not the only one targeted that way.

“There were other kids and the same thing happened to them,” he said. “And adults who were targeted because they didn’t have much of family themselves. They were lonely and felt a need to be wanted, liked. Saltshakers filled that void for them.”

Clement, Goodknight and others in the Saltshakers/CORE group were “aggressive,” using megaphones to scream at people and provoking others to argue. Macias watched as women walked up to a Planned Parenthood clinic and “were swarmed by Saltshakers who yelled and screamed at them.” Saltshakers would also follow women down the street, waving signs and picture of aborted fetuses in their face.

“It was all very intense and very intrusive,” he said. “Looking back at it now, it was wrong and sickening. How can you treat people like that?”

According to a young woman who wants to be identified only as “Crystal,” Saltshakers have no qualms about “verbally assaulting and terrorizing women.” She claimed that she has had “terrifying encounters” with the Saltshakers, the most recent one while at the Grants Pass Growers Market.

“I was helping at a booth when I’d noticed the Saltshakers were close by. I politely asked them if they could move away, because their presence was making most people uneasy,” Crystal said. “The next thing I know, they proceeded to yell at me, calling me a ‘whore of Satan’ and said I had dead babies in my closet.

“Yes. They said that. I was so upset I was shaking for almost an hour. Those people are disgusting.”

Crystal said she walked away and believed that security or police had been called in. It wasn’t her first encounter with the hate group.

“One time, I was walking downtown and (Saltshakers) were protesting at the health clinic. They saw my tattoos and started yelling at me,” she said. “They chased me back to my car. There was no reason for that attack.”

Clement has been vocal about Saltshaker tactics over the years. In interviews, he admitted that intimidation was a “valuable tool.”

“It’s how we get our message across and let others know that we’ll never back down,” he said.

To the Saltshakers, what they perceive as “God’s law” overrules actual laws.

“Rules and regulations mean nothing to them,” Macias said. “They’ll push everything to the limit, just enough to get their message across. Now, when I was with them, they never talked about doing anything violent. It was just getting in people’s faces, yelling, screaming, harassing. Things like that.”

What bothered Macias the most was how Saltshakers “weaponized their kids.”

“Parents would bring their kids to these protests and it was very disturbing,” he said. “Kids would be holding these signs and pictures, saying things they didn’t understand – it was wrong. It bordered on child abuse; I feel. And, then they exposed other kids to those awful pictures and they felt it was the right thing to do.

“It was sickening.”

Meantime, Macias was also dealing with another secret: Being a closeted gay teen.

“Looking back at it, that was a big thing,” he said. “I was living this double life and we know how that will eventually tear people apart. I thought I could fill this void by being with the Saltshakers and it did not last long. I wasn’t being myself, I was not a nice person. I lashed out at my grandmother and others close to me. I didn’t like who I was.”

A year after being with the Saltshakers, Macias said he knew things had to change.

“It was time to come out, to come clean with myself and everyone else,” he said. “I had to do it before I imploded. So, I posted everything on Facebook. It felt good but there was a backlash from the Saltshakers.”

Some Saltshakers told Macias that he needed to repent or he would “burn in hell.”

“People I thought who were my friends said that I was a horrible sinner and some even called me ‘Judas,’” he said. “See, in their view, Jesus is all about hellfire, damnation and brimstone. A vengeful wrath of judgment and it just went against everything I believed in. There’s no love or mercy. It’s all about hellfire and damnation.”

It's apparent the Saltshakers have no compassion or understanding for Macias and others like him. However, the United Methodist Church has been very inclusive regarding the LGBTQ community for many years. According to the official website, the church states:

The United Methodist Church affirms that sexuality is “God’s good gift to all persons.”

This affirmation begins the denomination’s statement on Human Sexuality. It is one of several statements describing the church’s teachings on sexuality.

The Church affirms that all people are of sacred worth and are equally valuable in the sight of God. It is committed to be in ministry with all people. The Church “implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.”

Underlying this is the constitutional principle of inclusiveness of the church. Everyone is welcome to worship and actively participate in the life of our churches. Laypersons may become members and live out their faith through their local church without respect to sexual orientation or practice.

The Church deplores acts of hate and violence against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity and believes human rights and civil liberties are due all people, regardless of sexual orientation.

Scott himself is gay and is married – he and his husband had their ceremony last September.

“There are a number of gay couples in the congregation,” he said. “Our church accepts and welcomes them. That will never change and the Saltshakers haven’t deterred them from attending services. In fact, those signs they use have become free advertising for us. We’re seeing new faces during our services. I’m good with that.”

Scott said he avoids directly engaging the Saltshakers – however, some have a different view.

Toren McKnight and Samantha Clum are the RV Pepper Shakers. Together, they have had several face-to-face confrontations with a number of the Saltshakers, particularly Jon and Cassandra “Casie” Peterman, group leader Clement and members such as convicted child abuser Trevor Emptage and Ben Steers.

McKnight, a recent high school graduate, remembered watching the Saltshakers protesting events in Ashland and throughout the Rogue Valley.

“It angered me,” he said. “What they did was wrong and I always wanted to do something about it. Finally, one day, I did do something about it.”

He finally did.

If the Saltshakers were picketing Medford’s Planned Parenthood clinic, McKnight would show up with his own signs. Alone, he would stand there, no matter, the weather, standing his ground despite the heckling and taunts from Saltshakers. Then, one day last year, Clum appeared on the scene.

“I was driving by and saw Toren there and the Saltshakers. I stopped my car and got out, stood there with him,” she said. “I had seen (Saltshakers) protesting and wanted to do something, stand up to them. That day, I finally made the choice.”

The RV Pepper Shakers were born.

Over the last year, Clum and McKnight have had several confronted the Saltshakers on several occasions. A few times, they have helped escort women to the clinic doors and have earned the ire of Casie Peterman.

“She’s very vindictive, very hateful,” Clum said. “She’s made social media posts calling me a ‘lesbian abortion worshipping witch’ and other despicable things. Casie is very fond of body shaming me and calling me ‘fat.’ Does it bother me? It’s like this: Casie is a bully, nothing else, nothing more. She has nothing good or positive in her life – so, she feels that she has to act like a spoiled brat in grade school, putting others down to make herself feel good. That’s pathetic, right?

“At the end of the day, I do feel good about myself. I’m out there, one way or another, helping people. Yes, even protecting my LGBTQ friends from monsters like Casie and her husband. At the end of the day, I can look at myself in the mirror and feel good about it.”

McKnight said it’s just the two of them taking on the “bigots,” referring to the Saltshakers.

“The ‘Shakers are inconsistent with the picketing, especially since Sam and I started our thing,’ he said. “It used to be they had a schedule of when and where they would picket – it made our job easier, knowing that and how we could respond. However, when Jon, Casie and the others realized we would show up, they changed their game.”

If McKnight or Clum are out driving and spot the Saltshakers protesting, both are quick to notify their Facebook group about it.

“If possible, we both try to be there and confront them,” he said. “Sometimes, a few others will see the post and come out to help. But, usually, it’s the two of us and it’s hard for others to take off at a moment’s notice.”

One time, someone offered to show up some with an airhorn and blast it at the Saltshakers.

“While I did like the idea, it would be too disruptive for others working in the area. I had to say no,” he said.

In the past, it was a common tactic for anti-abortion groups to find the addresses of those working at health clinics, then show up and picket their private homes. McKnight said he would never do that.

“It sounds good, right? But, no, it could lead to trespassing on private property and other conflicts,” he said. “No, we wouldn’t do something like that.”

Public reception varies. If the Pepper Shakers are in Ashland, the general public reacts positively, Clum said.

“If we’re in Medford, the reaction is rather mixed,” she explained. “Grants Pass – the reactions can be less favorable. It just depends.”

Aside from the Petermans, one of the more infamous Saltshakers is Trevor Maurice Emptage.

On March 4, 2012, Rogue Regional Medical Center ER doctors contacted law enforcement after seeing a 1-year-old girl with first and second degree burns to her feet. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated and found that her foster father, Emptage, was angry after the child had defecated in the bathtub – there was evidence showing the child was held in scalding hot water by force.

It was later discovered that Emptage was arrested for domestic assault in 2008.

Emptage would later plead guilty to second-degree assault as additional counts of first-degree assault and first-degree criminal mistreatment were dismissed in a plea agreement. While second-degree assault is a Measure 11 offense, Emptage received a sentence of 34 months rather than the mandatory 70 months due to having no criminal record. Emptage’s wife and members from his church wrote letters asking for no jail sentence. He was ordered to turn himself in by July 2, 2013.

Emptage was seen on video recordings harassing people outside of the Medford Planned Parenthood clinic on Nov. 3. When Pepper Shaker counter protestors confronted Emptage about his child abusing past, he countered that he had “found Jesus and was saved.”

Evidently, while being in church, he hadn’t found Jesus before and it’s not clear if having a criminal record is a prerequisite for RV Saltshaker membership.

“I’ve talked to (Trevor) about that incident,” McKnight said. “He told me that God’s forgiven him – but he has no remorse for what happened.”

More recently – and disturbing – Keith “Biome Michael” Erickson, a neo-Nazi who has caused problems for many over the years, appeared at the Grants Pass Growers Market.

McKnight recorded the encounter and posted it on the Pepper Shakers’ Facebook page.

“It was a classic Biome moment,” he said. “He denied being a Nazi and then said Nazis were n____rs. And he was sticking up for the Saltshakers. I wouldn’t be surprised if showed up again and sided with them.”

Clum has video of Jon Peterman repeating “n____r” over and over again. Another video has his wife Casie pulling a small knife on a Black Jewish man.

“It does make you wonder about them,” she said. “What other agendas and beliefs are they hiding? What else will we see or hear them do? It’s disturbing.’

Clum does have a point.

It’s disturbing when those claiming to be Christians go after other Christians in a hateful manner. It’s disturbing when a group uses children as props to push their hateful agenda. It’s disturbing when innocent families are subjected to graphic, bloody pictures as they attend a Christmas parade.

It is disturbing.

Pastor Scott said he has no plans to directly engage the hate group. “I’m a Christian and my response will mirror those beliefs. As it is, thanks to them, I see new faces in church and I know they are there to support us. I find comfort in that.”

McKnight and Clum, however, are not backing down.

“From the first time I saw the Saltshakers, I knew they were wrong,” McKnight said. “I was a kid but I knew then what I had to do. Here I am, standing up for what’s right and standing up for others. I’m not stopping.”

Clum agrees with her friend.

“This is the right thing to do,” she said. “Someone has to take a stand and that’s what Toren and I are doing. Even if we’re the only ones out there, we will keep standing up to those bullies and bigots and we will not back down. Not one goddamned inch.”

For more information about McKnight and Clum’s group and how to support them, information can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/roguevalleypeppershakers

Antifa: Fighting right wing extremism

By Brad Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Over the last few years, "Antifa" has become a term demonized in the media by conservative politicians and organizations.

Last summer, Donald Trump took to social media and held Antifa responsible for the violence that occurred at the numerous rallies and protests held at the time. Trump wanted Antifa groups to be classified as a terrorist organization -- despite the fact there was no evidence linking said groups to violent activity.

And, in September 2020, FBI Director Chris Wray testified on Capitol Hill that Antifa wasn't a cohesive organization but an ideology. Wray's statements put him at odds with Trump -- who later had a social media meltdown about the subject.

During the Black Lives Matter rallies held throughout Southern Oregon, many claimed that Antifa operatives were in buses and headed for area communities -- to commit violence and arson. None of that happened. Rogue Weather.com owner Greg Roberts posted on social media that Antifa was responsible for the September fires and even claimed Antifa and BLM allies were hiding among the homeless living at Hawthorne Park. A scanner group, one overseen by Ryan Mallory, echoed the same false information.

Someone even created a fake Medford Police Dept. press release stating that Antifa members were arrested for the fires.

Even more shocking, some Republicans still believe Antifa was behind the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack -- something actually planned and carried out by right wing extremists.

According to an August 2018 USA Today article, Rose City Antifa is the oldest known active Antifa group in the United States, forming back in 2007. According to an RCA member identified as "Milo," RCA's mission "is to combat and deplatform the far right while organizing in solidarity with others struggling for collective liberation."

In Mark Bray's 2017 book, Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, Rose City Antifa was formed over 14 years ago to help others oppose a Portland music festival organized by neo-Nazis allied with White Aryan Resistance, a white supremacist organization. Since then, Milo said the RCA has been tracking fascists and other far-right groups.

"We monitor the rhetoric and activity at fascist and far-right events occurring in our area," he said. "We also track fascist activity online, in both public and private channels. We rely a lot on tips from our community members as well -- so when people see fascist activity in their area, whether on social media or in real life, we encourage them to send us those tips so we can investigate the activity. Our goal is to connect fascists' public identities with their hateful organizing activities, so that their community can keep themselves safe and hold fascists directly accountable for advocating genocide and white supremacy."

Milo said he joined because his community was threatened by the presence of fascists.

"I have the capacity to do something about it. I care deeply about community solidarity," he said. "As well as dismantling systems of oppression -- it's hard to build a better world when you have Nazis running around."

Milo said that's what Antifa wants: A better world.

Recently, RCA published in depth information about local neo-Nazis Keith "Biome" Michael Erickson and Gregg Marchese. Andrew Patterson, who once organized a very small neo-Nazi group here in the Rogue Valley, has been mentioned - -albeit briefly -- in an article. "We have definitely monitored some other instances of far-right activity and fascist organizing in Southern Oregon," Milo said. "Because we're a Portland-based and mainly Portland-focused group, local activists and journalists elsewhere in Oregon are often more familiar with the important far-right figures in their area than we are."

Milo and his fellow RCA members have noted the increased activity by white nationalists over the years.

"The election of Donald Trump certainly emboldened white nationalists, who saw an ally in the Trump administration," he said. "However, we want to make sure people don't falsely conflate emergence of white nationalism with Trump's election. There have always been white supremacists in the United States, and even the Obama presidency didn't do much to stem the growth of the far-right. We have to remain vigilant in our work regardless of who our elected officials are, because we can't rely on existing systems to do our work for us."

In response to Trump's social media posts about Antifa and violence, Milo said:

"When antifascists engage in violence, it is out of community self-defense. In our case, when Proud Boys and their ilk descend on Portland with the intent to cause harm to our communities, sometimes we have to meet them in the streets," he said.

Milo added:

"We also find it interesting that antifascists frequently get accused of violence when we see violence enacted against people at the state level constantly. If we define violence as 'things that do harm,' and we see people struggling with low wages, food insecurity, lack of housing, lack of health care, etc., and our state pours resources into policing, incarceration, and tax breaks for the rich, who is really enacting
violence on a large scale? It's not us."

Death threats are fairly routine for the RCA, Milo said.

"We frequently get ill-wishes in our inboxes and voicemail. It comes with this work. Some of the insults get really creative, which is an amusing part of our day.

"Most are . . . the opposite of creative."

Sometimes, law enforcement has used Antifa doxxed information.

"We have seen a few instances where information published by antifascists has garnered mainstream media attention, and that media attention has put pressure on law enforcement to eventually arrest a

fascist organizer," Milo said. "It also does appear that federal law enforcement have been taking advantage of their preexisting monitoring of online antifascist activity to collect evidence from doxxes to use against individuals arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 far-right rally in Washington D.C. That said, we continue to see little evidence that law enforcement are inclined to track the far right and white
nationalists overall, or beyond the scope of that single event in January."

When it comes to increased violence from neo-Nazis and a growing number of groups, Milo said the RCA was committed to the fight against such things.

"We never want to be complacent in our work, because we know that for too many people, being a decent human being that doesn't espouse antisemitism, racism, misogyny and homophobia is simply too high a bar," he said. "But we do believe that a combination of community building work, community education, and creating material consequences for hate speech for fascists is a good way to make sure that far right ideology doesn't root itself in the places we live."

Rose City Antifa doesn't accept donations nor look for financial support.

"Not currently, and we would encourage people to route their financial support to explicitly BIPOC organizations doing liberation work in their local areas," he said.

If people wish to pass on information, Milo said the RCA can be emailed at fight_them_back@riseup.net

"Sometimes a tip comes our way that isn't relevant to the area we serve, so when we can, we pass on that information to antifascists in that particular area," Milo said. "We are also part of the Torch Network, which is an affiliation of antifascist groups in North America, and we do maintain
regular contact with other groups within that network."

Meantime, Rose City Antifa continues taking a stand against neo-Nazis and other right wing extremists.

Stine's Tweet angers houseless advocates. UPDATED: Stine shutdown Twitter account

Marie Antoinette: "Let them eat cake."

Kevin Stine: "Hold my McFlurry."

Medford city councilor Kevin Stine upset a number of his constituents with a seemingly snarky Twitter post:

 

Stine posted the Tweet after a Thursday night meeting during which he and five other councilors voted for a controversial ordinance that bans camping along the Greenway -- as well as banning homeless from using tents while in so-called "noncamping zones" within Medford city limits. The only councilors who opposed the ordinance were Clay Bearnson and Sarah Spainsail. 

Social media lashed back.

"If Kevin Stine is afraid of his constituents he should resign."

"I hated him before, but after last night, I am so utterly disgusted with this piece of shit! He will definitely be hearing from me!"

"Kevin Stine is a Medford city council member who presents himself as a leftist but is pretty right wing. He wants to be a career politician. He voted yesterday to harass and antagonize Medford's homeless population under the guise of trash accumulation and fire prevention. He brings up open beds at shelters that number in the 10s (the beds, not the shelters) when the homeless population numbers in the hundreds . . . . He's been antagonistic to homeless people at every opportunity and then paints himself as the victim for his constituents speaking up."

"The very next death of exposure is going to be laid at your (Stine's) feet, along with the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that."

Some flooded Stine's Twitter feed with attacks and insults -- to which a callus Stine retorted by saying he got "M&Ms McFlurry."

"He needs to get a fucking clue or a better moral compass," one person said. "However, you can say the same thing about the other councilors or the (county) commissioners. We have leadership that lacks decency and compassion. That's our problem."

Houseless advocate and Hawthorne mutual aid volunteer Melissa Jones soon posted this on her Facebook page.

The image has been reposted and shared all over social media.

Earlier this week, local lawyers have announced that they will fight the ordinance in the courts. Over the last few years, similar ordinances have been struck down in Boise and Grants Pass.

UPDATE:

Stine is now blocking people from his social media.

UPDATE:

Stine has shutdown his Twitter account. 

Local neo-Nazis radicalize anti Covid-19 movement, interact with county commissioner

Above is Keith "Biome" Michael Erickson, one of Southern Oregon's most notorious white nationalists and Holocaust deniers. 2020 was a busy year for him, as he and fellow neo-Nazi Gregg Marchese took part in anti lockdown rallies and harassed Black Lives Matter demonstrators throughout the Rogue Valley. Below is a screen capture of Erickson allegedly at the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack.

 

Below are pictures of neo-Nazi and Covid-19 denier Gregg Marchese taken at an event in Medford prior to the pandemic lockdown.

Above, Erickson was active in a number of counter protests as BLM protests took place in Ashland, Medford and elsewhere in Southern Oregon. During one such rally, Erickson allegedly attacked a young man. According to some witnesses, Marchese was "aggressive and verbally abusive" as well.

By Brad Smith

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. -- It's been an odd, disturbing transformation as over the years Keith "Biome Michael" Erickson went from goofy, hippy Ashland mayoral candidate to being one of Southern Oregon's infamous neo-Nazis.

In October 2012, Erickson gained some national attention when Comedy Central selected him to be featured as a One of a Kind Candidate for its Indecision Forever website. Local media outlets snapped up the story, Erickson shared a few quips about it and he would eventually -- not surprisingly -- lose the election.

It was good for a few laughs.

Flash forward to December 2018, as Erickson and fellow neo-Nazi Gregg Marchese were barred from entering Havurah Shir Hadash, an Ashland synagogue, where a packed audience turned out to hear a presentation about anti-Semitism in the U.S. and around the world. According to local media reports, Marchese recently posted on Facebook that the KKK was created to protect Southerners from "powerful Jews who had Lincoln killed (and) roaming gangs of recently freed slaves inflicting murder, rape and vandalism on whites."

In January 2019, Erickson and Marchese appeared at a Medford anti-hate crime event featuring Oregon's Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Jackson County District Attorney Beth Heckert and Central Point Police Dept. Chief Kris Allison were also present. It should be noted that none of the county commissioners were present.

However, the two neo-Nazis would eventually get the attention of Commissioner Colleen Roberts.

"I don't feel safe myself," Erickson told the visibly upset audience that night. "And, I'm confused why Jewish people don’t like me. I have nothing against them. I just follow the truth and know the real history of the Holocaust. I want to be safe," he said. "If I want to say that white pride is good, I should feel safe doing that."

Marchese spoke as well and echoed Erickson's sentiments -- however he asked not to be identified in the media.

By 2019, Erickson had already caused a stir on social media with his posts. On both his Facebook and Twitter accounts, he describes himself as "White (Aryan) Male American National Socialist / Historical Revisionist." Aside from being a vehement Holocaust denier and 9/11 conspiracy theorist -- the Israelis, the Freemasons and so many more -- "Biome Michael" is also a staunch anti-GMO activist, hates 5G technology, worries about chemtrails and, not surprisingly over the last year, has jumped on the Covid-19 "Plandemic" bandwagon.

Erickson reportedly shutdown his Facebook after numerous activity suspensions. His Twitter is still visible but he hasn't posted anything publicly in a long while.

Marchese still has his page open for the public. On July 25, 2020, he posted this:

BEHIND THE MASK: THE REAL AGENDA

Face masks have absolutely nothing to do with public safety.

They are being imposed as a form of slave training and prison indoctrination. Compliance with foolishness imposes shame and despair.

Masks are also phase one of the initiation ritual into the 'new normal' totalitarian rule world. First isolate and separate and break down identity, then indoctrinate with the new program into the brain void created by the isolation, then re-introduce the initiate into the transformed social and physical world.

Face masks drive people apart, cutting off an essential aspect of human communion, observation of emotional and personal expression and recognition of familiar faces and prevention of familiarization of new faces. Ever notice how babies stare for a prolonged time at new people who enter their view? They are imprinting familiarity. Put a mask on someone, they can't do it. We can't really know what someone is feeling, thinking, intending, expressing. Anxiety results.

Alienation, separation, isolation and despair result. This is the goal, this is one of the main functions of the mass mask wearing mania. Another of course is to impair the health and clarity and energy of the entire population. Another is to drive a further divide through the People, another bilateral polarization. Still another may be to identify those who are the resistors, the rebels, the counter-revolutionaries, and separate them out and neutralize them.

But if there are too many of them, too well organized, too determined, it will not work and the maskless face of freedom will shine openly.  

As with Erickson, Marchese embraces most of the same conspiracy theories and fringe beliefs -- and as with his July 25, 2020 social media rant, he views the Covid-19 pandemic as some sort of Machiavellian scheme for global domination. 

Erickson started appearing at the Williams Grange Pancake Breakfasts, where he took time to voice his numerous views -- much to the chagrin of some. The Grange reportedly postponed the breakfasts until the situation was resolved.

Last summer, he took part in a so-called "Liberty Rally" on July 17, held in Sweet Home. 

Erickson told The New Era reporters -- Sweet Home's newspaper -- that he had learned of the rally via Telegram, a social media app that right wing extremists frequently use. He reached out to the event organizer, Jimy White. White and Erickson posed for a picture of them hold a Black Lives Matter banner. 

White posted the picture on his Twitter account.

According to The New Era article, Erickson said "'white America was better' and talked about wanting white people to only associate with other white people. While giving a speech on a bullhorn, Erickson said 'racism is anything the left doesn't agree with.'"  He then reportedly shadowed a local journalist during the rally -- he allegedly asked about their ethnic heritage and if they were an FBI agent. During the rally, Erickson said those who wore masks were "subhuman."

Aside from some drug arrests in Tennessee and some driving violations -- plus a failure to appear charge on a trespassing arrest -- Erickson hasn't had any major charges filed against him. Yet.

However, some feel that Erickson was present in Washington, DC, during the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack carried out by alt-right domestic terrorists. In the following video that appeared weeks ago on C-SPAN, a number of people claim that Erickson can be seen -- at timestamp 1:56 -- as terrorists accost a Capitol police officer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivVOPWrFfW4&t=123s

Some feel that it's possible Erickson was a part of the Capitol Hill terrorist attack since he's been seen taking part in a number of alt-right protests throughout Oregon, especially Salem and Portland.

Between the anti mask/lockdown protests and the BLM rallies, both Erickson and Marchese were busy. During a rally at Medford, Erickson attacked a protester and they talked about the incident in a Facebook video:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=332836487841490&id=10003345423008

Last August, the local journalist group Sailor Boy Media interviewed someone who had a disturbing encounter with Erickson, Marchese and some Covid-19 mask/lockdown opponents. The individual quickly scrubbed their online presence and, according to some sources, moved away for fear of their lives. The video can be watched here and the actual encounter starts at the 24:53 timestamp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w__Hpdm7zAc&t=31s

Portland's Rose City Antifa, a group some believe to be the oldest known active antifa group in the country, have devoted a considerable of time and resources in tracking and outing neo-Nazis and other right wing extremists. It was inevitable that Erickson and Marchese ended up on their radar. On March 10, the group posted on their website a lengthy, well-documented article on Erickson and Marchese's activities.

Rose City Antifa viewed and screenshotted several Telegram channel posts made by both Erickson and Marchese, along with others, focusing on Covid-19 conspiracy theories and rants about masks and lockdowns. From the article: At the end of 2020, Rose City Antifa researchers came across a known Ashland-area neo-Nazi, Keith Michael “Biome” Erickson, posting in a Telegram channel titled “Make America Fascist Again.” In that channel, Biome and a local compatriot with the username “RogueOp NS” bragged to other fascists about their successful infiltration of Southern Oregon COVID-denial circles, and discussed their efforts to further radicalize people they encountered there.

And:

Investigation into messages from Biome and RogueOp NS—who was identified as Erickson’s partner-in-fascism Gregg Marchese—alerted us to a Telegram channel titled “FreeJaCo.” “FreeJaCo” (short for “Free Jackson County”) was created by Erickson and Marchese and to share anti-mask action plans, COVID-denial conspiracy theories, and antisemitic, homophobic, and racist content with a larger group of like-minded Ashland and Medford-area residents. Marchese and Erickson spent much of 2020 orienting a group of COVID-hoax believers towards anti-COVID-restriction organizing and radicalizing them through repeated exposure to fascist propaganda.

Later in the article, the Rose City Antifa researchers revealed a worrisome series of interactions between Jackson County Commissioner Colleen Roberts and the two neo-Nazis. Both men had been present at an Aug. 5 meeting and spoke of their "concerns" about the pandemic lockdowns. Evidently, they established some sort of connection with Roberts, according to the researchers:

The next day, after Biome, Marchese, and a collection of their fellow “FreeJaCo” channel members gave testimony in front of the Jackson County Commissioners, Commissioner Colleen Roberts approached them in what Biome described as a “more informal non-session setting out from the auditorium” and told them about what she believed were inconsistencies in COVID-related “Executive Orders” from the Governor that might make those orders vulnerable to legal action from right-wing advocacy groups. Commissioner Roberts, who was first elected at the end of 2014, was a featured speakers at a May 16th rally in Medford against coronavirus restrictions, where she at one point addressed the crowd by asking “Why couldn’t you have an elective surgery, but I understand an abortion can be done, which is elective?!…It comes down to this: Are we a free state, or are we a police state?”

The Rogue Free Press was there for the May 16 rally. Prior to making the aforementioned remarks, Roberts urged everyone present -- including unmasked children -- to move closer to the stage and "crowd up together."

It's bothersome to some that Roberts opted to interact with two known neo-Nazis: Both men, especially Erickson, were the focus of articles featured in local papers, including The Mail Tribune, The Daily Tidings and Rogue River Press. And, judging from her non appearance at the January 2019 anti-hate event featuring the state's Attorney General, some would say she's not concerned about the issue.

The article can be viewed here: https://rosecityantifa.org/articles/biome-erickson/

The Rogue Free Press has attempted to contact Roberts and ask her why she interacted with two known neo-Nazis.

She has not responded.

Concerned county residents can reach her at:

 RobertCL@jacksoncounty.org

Phone: 541-774-6117
FAX: 541-774-6705