Posted: July 5, 2008 09:38 PM EDT
Updated: July 5, 2008 11:33 PM EDT
OMAHA (KPTM) - A neo-Nazi group made another stop in the metro Saturday. This time they took their message straight to the heart of south Omaha.
A few dozen white supremacists gathered on South 24th Street to protest a business they say hires and hides illegal immigrants. They were met by a group of counter protesters.
A police helicopter circled overhead and riot teams stood ready as members of the National Socialist Movement yelled into a megaphone. "I think it's very hurtful and offensive," said one bystander.
For an hour, the group traded insults with people who had gathered to counter their message. "Everybody wants a better life for their family, everybody wants a better life for their kids. I want a better life for my kids, but the only way I can do it is if I work from the bottom to the top," said counter protester Lupe Espinoza.
The white supremacists tore up a Mexican flag and said they want illegal immigrants sent back to where they came from. "I respect people's heritage. I respect where people come from. My problem with illegal immigration is that it is illegal," said Brian Holland, the National Socialist Movement's candidate for president.
The group gathered in front of Thrift World on 24th Street. It stems from a federal indictment in April. The owner of the Council Bluffs secondhand clothing distribution company, American Clothing, was charged with knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. A criminal complaint shows American Clothing resells items to places like Thrift World.
Some say the group's message is falling on deaf ears. "It really is our job to support the community and to send a strong message that hate and hate-filled groups such as the one that we are being visited by are not welcome," said Barb Angelillo of the Conference for Inclusive Communities.
But leaders of the movement insist Omahans know there's a problem with immigration in the United States. "Every time we go someplace we grow. We recruit new members everywhere we go," said one member. Holland added: "We're not about hate. I'm not about destroying other people's cultures. What I am about is preserving our culture and our future and our tomorrow," he said.
Leaders of the National Socialist Movement say they plan to visit Omaha again soon. They say their rallies are about educating people.
Holland also says he hopes to make the group its own political party. He says though the movement is often associated with violence, leaders understand the only way to accomplish their goals is through the political system.
The South Omaha Thrift World and American Clothing Company both refused to comment Saturday about the rally.