Matthew Heimbach, the founder of the 'White Student Union'
at Towson University, appears on HuffPost Live. The group plans to begin
patrolling the Towson campus.
A controversial white-pride group said it will begin
implementing nighttime patrols on a Maryland college campus to keep
would-be attackers at bay.
The White Student Union (WSU), which was founded last year by Towson University senior Matthew Heimbach, plans to start patrolling the school, according to the student newspaper the Towerlight.
“One thing we’re doing at night is to have a male member accompany
female members across campus or to night classes,” Heimbach told the
publication. “Not because we’re terrified, but in college everyone is
focused on themselves. We just want to make campus a better place."
The WSU, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a White Nationalist hate group, isn't technically affiliated with Towson University, but the group is allowed to use university resources, ThinkProgress notes.
In an apparent attempt to assuage the fears of Towson's nonwhite
students, Heimback added, "If we see a white person commit a crime
against a person who is not white, we’re going to assist the person who
was attacked every time.”
However, the reassurances seem to contradict a recent WSU blog post bemoaning the school's "black crime wave:"
The frequent robberies, sexual assaults, and acts of
vandalism at Towson University are not often reported in the local
media. For those who are not Towson students it seems hard to fathom
that every single day black predators prey upon the majority white
Towson University student body. White Southern men have long been called
to defend their communities when law enforcement and the State seem
unwilling to protect our people.
WSU members will not be armed during the patrols, although female members will carry pepper spray, the Towerlight reports.
In a statement to the Baltimore Sun, a Townson University
representative said: "As one of the safest campuses in the University
System of Maryland, we are confident in the work of the Towson
University Police force. We maintain our vigilance to keep Towson safe
and have not sanctioned patrols by this or any other student group."
Heimbach told the Huffington Post in an email that while his patroils
may not have been "cleared" by the police, "we plan to do everything
within the limits of the law. Several of our members are veterans who
are former military police and at least one of them will be with every
patrol. Our goal is to identify, notify, and help. We will identify
criminals who are committing crimes, notify the local authorities, and
help the victim until first responders arrive."
Recently, the WSU was thrust into the spotlight after comments
members made about slavery at the Conservative Political Action
Conference (CPAC) were widely circulated online.
Heimbach and fellow WSU member Scott Terry publicly challenged CPAC panel discussion leader
K. Carl Smith on the need for diversity in the Republican party. Terry
said Republican party outreach toward black conservatives was being
sought "at the expense of young, white, Southern males like myself."
"I think my demographic is being systematically disenfranchised,"
Terry said, adding that he'd "be fine" with a society where blacks were
subservient to whites.
Heimbach later told The Baltimore Sun that "diversity is not strength."
Raw Story points out that these types of citizen patrols are also favored by the Greek Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. The outlet notes that in the past, Heimbach has called the group an inspiration for the WSU.
Editor's Note: The text has been changed to include comment from Matthew Heimbach.
