Something new in America—a conference canceled because of death threats
A couple of weeks ago I heard that the hotel in the Washington, D.C. area where the biennial American Renaissance conference had been scheduled this month had backed out as a result of charges or threats made against the conference by some leftist group, and that AR had then found another hotel in the same area. The name of this second hotel was not going to be revealed to attendees until the day of the conference, in order to avoid the name leaking out. I had thought of posting something on the intensifying tactics of intimidation being used by the fascist left in this country, but hadn’t gotten around to it.
Then today came this stunning news. The AR conference has been completely canceled
Here is the e-mail that conference registrants received from Jared Taylor:
Dear AR conference registrant,
We regret to inform you that today, February 15, the hotel at which we planned to hold the conference canceled its contract with us. Hostile callers phoned the hotel and threatened employees with death. One was specifically warned, “If you hold this conference I will go in there and shoot you.” Hotel management reported these threats to the police but felt it had no choice but to cancel.
We had backup possibilities, but all have fallen through, so we will not be holding the February 19-21 conference.
We are very sorry for the great inconvenience this no doubt causes you.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to American Renaissance in the amount of your registration that would be welcome. However, we stand ready to refund all registrations and banquet fees. Please let us know by return e-mail how you would like us to proceed.
We understand that many of you have bought non-refundable air tickets. Generally, the amount spent on such tickets can, for a period of a year, be used to buy a different ticket on the same airline. However, most airlines then deduct $150 from the amount that can be spent to buy the new ticket. If you bought a non-refundable ticket, please send us proof of purchase and we will send you a check for $150. We do not want anyone to suffer financial loss because of this cancellation.
Again, please accept our apologies for this very disappointing outcome. We value your continuing support and deeply regret that we will not be seeing you on February 19.
Best regards,
Jared Taylor
- end of initial entry -
LA to several correspondents:
Can you tell me more? The last I remember, someone had told me about the move to the second hotel, and that every precaution was being taken not to leak the name of this hotel.
Bob Weissberg replies:
That was the plan—we were to be informed of the hotel a day or two beforehand. I have no idea how this information got out and will have to assume that it was an inside job.
I’ve also been told that the police are investigating and I suspect that making a death threat is a felony in VA. What will be interesting is whether the media will pick it up and how they’ll treat it.
You might want to speculate if the mass media will suggest that all this happened as a result of rabid right-wingers poisoning public debate. That is, we once were a very civil society until the likes of Glenn Beck et al. came along.. Why I can recall my days at Cornell when the faculty would invite black militants over for sherry at four so as to discuss the idea of western liberal equality. And then the feminists for a little dinner party so as to try and disentangle the biological roots of gender identity. Sad to say those days are long gone.
An interesting historical parallel is when an avowed Communist assassinated JFK. The mass media almost uniformly treated it as a reflection the horrific attitudes of racist white southerners. What did you expect—it was Dallas, home of the KKK and General Walker, the right wing nut case.
Let the predictions begin.
Doug H. writes:
A few days ago in another topic, you recommended to an individual that we should not fight leftist using their tactics. What are we to do when talk is being stopped with violent threats? There is no one in government or media currently who will help if you are even accused of being racist. Unlike Beck or Hannity, who go overboard to prove they are not racist, most people do not have the platform they do to get the publicity to stop this type of intimidation. Even Coulter and Horowitz are threatened at events. At what point do sane people flee, and where would they flee? Is it time like the Bible says to flee to the mountains?
I am seriously asking. I have no clue what can be done. A person may not agree with what Jarod Taylor says, but he and others should be allowed to gather. What could be more dangerous than the Imams running some of the extreme mosques? Yet they are allowed to run unencumbered.
There was a time not long ago when I would watch the History Channel and marvel at how people in Germany allowed themselves to be deceived by a megalomaniac. Now our society has become so upside down it is happening right before my eyes.
I spent 20 years in the military. I went many places including the Middle East and saw much, but I never imagined I would see the level of corruption and immorality I see taken us over now and quickly I might add.
February 16
Rick U. writes:
This has the fingerprints of the SEIU all over it. It would be telling to find out if the two hotels in question are unionized. That would explain how the location leaked and the threats apparently continued to the point of cancellation of the conference, at the second location.
LA to Bob Weissberg:
Did the first hotel get death threats? And then the second one (the one that was kept secret), and then they found a third, which was also kept secret, and that one got death threats too?
Do I have that right?
Bob Weissberg replies:
My understanding was that the first hotel—I believe it was the Hyatt—was openly advertised as the American Ren location. The second, the Westin, booked reservations under the New Century Foundation and not mentioned on the website to avoid unwanted attention. The third one, the one that received the death threats, I have no idea. But, there are only so many hotels in the area and a few telephone calls may have smoked it out.
What is odd is that this is the first time this has happened. Our enemies grow more desperate by the day, even risking a felony.
Paul Nachman writes:
On the AmRen cancellation: I was going to be there. My understanding is that there were death threats against the management of the prior hotel (for this year), too. Regarding how the word on this one got out, I’m skeptical that it was an “inside job.” Whatever this last hotel is, it’s not too far from Dulles Airport. I expect one wouldn’t have to be exceptionally enterprising to phone all such hotels and figure out which one was the venue, either by talking to a hotel employee in the know who didn’t realize the sensitive nature of the reservation or by somehow deducing some other signature of the event.
Apparently the name associated with this thuggery is Jeffrey Imm, whom Jonathan Tilove tipped me off to just this morning. Never heard of him before, but you’ll find him on the internet, including this quite recent AmRen entry.
A Finn writes:
Bob Weissberg: “I have no idea how this information got out and will have to assume that it was an inside job.”
American Renaissance is a low commitment organization, so it is easy to infiltrate. It is very unlikely that somebody infiltrates Sikhs, orthodox Jews, various Muslim groups, Christian monks and nuns etc., because their requirements are high and members must be very committed. American Renaissance members could increase the requirements and necessary commitments in their group and tie these into the status of members. [LA replies: AR is not an organization; it is a newsletter and website and holds conferences once every two years. It’s true that any hostile outsider could sign up for a conference, and thus get the information on where the conference was going to be held. But not after Taylor began withholding the name of the hotel.]
Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 15, 2010 04:35 PM | Send