All of these crimes by Hammerskins leaders meet the definition of terrorism for the following reasons: the violence was repeated; the violence was criminally and politically motivated (the crimes were committed against groups like gays and blacks that the Hammerskins politically oppose); and the victims were targets of opportunity or symbolic, such as black or gay people who happened to be using a park or having a drink at a pub at the wrong time. Further, the acts of terrorism committed by Hammerskins leaders have the effect of encouraging terrorism among rank-and-file members. The average member would be right to deduce that those who practiced violence would be protected by the group and perhaps even advance within it. In short, there was an institutional condoning of violence - if it was right for the leadership, it was right for the members.
And, as one might expect, there have been plenty of violent crimes committed by ordinary members that would be rightly classified as terrorist. One California member has claimed that his chapter had a rule that required black citizens to be assaulted if they ever walked through a neighborhood where Hammerskins lived (Miner, 2003). Clearly, these victims were targets of opportunity designed to further the Hammerskins message of race separation. Additional hate crimes have been committed by Hammerskins members in Arizona, California, Texas and Massachusetts, and Illinois police believe they may have halted more serious crimes when they made a major illegal-gun bust that netted several Hammerskins' automatic weapons and handguns in 2004 (Corcoran, 2004).
In short, it is easy to establish that the crimes committed by Hammerskins' leaders were terrorist in nature, but it also can be demonstrated that the hate crimes of regular Hammerskins' members should be classified as terrorism. By recruiting from prisons,...
Domestic Terrorism America is home to people with varied cultural backgrounds who have been confined into one political and geographical territory. These people may have issues and conflicts but still find themselves living together because of shared territorial borders (Zalman, 2013). The United States has managed for a very long time to contain multitude of people with diverse religious, political, and cultural views in relative harmony. Incidences of terrorist attacks that
Domestic Terrorism in the United States Americans view terrorism as a form of art and science with higher complications. Particularly, the actions of, 9/11, prompted a new face for terrorism. The place of terrorist activity and the origin of terrorists give the distinction of the profile of domestic terrorisms and that of international terrorism. International terrorism entails the terrorist activities that are foreign-sponsored by institutions outside of the United States. On
Similarly, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) -- another nongovernmental institution that militates for the rights of animals -- has also been accused of terrorism. On several occasions, PETA has granted funds to the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front, both of which are included on the list of domestic terrorist organizations (the Center for Consumer Freedom, 2004). Looking at the matter with a critical eye and
Further, these groups are not motivated by violence, but instead are still political groups trying to convince the mainstream political organizations of their views. Thus, it is clear that identifying domestic terrorism is different in today's society, taking many forms. Understanding how domestic terrorism can often be difficult to pinpoint can help criminal justice scholars as they attempt to define what should be considered domestic violence and what can be
There have been analyses made regarding this aspect and opinions are both for an easier gun regulation as well as against such a legislative initiative. On the one hand, it is considered that indeed legally allowing people to buy guns would automatically trigger a greater number of fire arms. (Workman, 2006) on the other hand however, Peter Hamm, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, suggests that the
Terrorism Domestic terrorism is legally defined as activities that are "dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State," and which are intended to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population," "influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion," or "affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping," (Cornell University Law School n.d.). The central
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