MuckRock – Memphis Flyer

Unicorn Riot

White nationalist Peter Teftt is searched by Tennessee State Park Rangers before the American Renaissance conference at Montgomery Bell State Park in May, according to Unicorn Riot.

White nationalists from numerous organizations held meetings at a Tennessee state park last year and this year and, so far, Tennessee taxpayers are still on the hook for the meetings’ security.

That’s according to a recent report from MuckRock, the nonprofit news site dedicated to government transparency. MuckRock reporter Kent Hoover said the groups still haven’t paid the $21,058 bill from last year’s event and federal judge ruled that they didn’t have to, according to The Tennessean.

In May, ”American Renaissance” rented facilities at Montgomery Bell State Park, just west of Nashville. American Resistance is the magazine and website from the New Century Foundation, a group founded by white nationalist Jared Taylor in 1990.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says the Foundation ”is a self-styled think tank that promotes pseudo-scientific studies and research that purport to show the inferiority of blacks to whites — although in hi-falutin’ language that avoids open racial slurs and attempts to portray itself as serious scholarship.” The Foundation says it’s “a progressive, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to foster opportunity, reduce inequality, and promote security at home and abroad.”

According to Unicorn Riot, a nonprofit news organization, about 100 protested the American Renaissance conference in May. That group said the state’s security force was large and largely focused on the protestors.

Tennessee law enforcement making a strong showing to protect neo-nazis who've been allowed to reserve their own private resort at the state park. In attendance is the American Identity Movement (formerly Identity Evropa) as well as ex-members of the National Socialist Movement. pic.twitter.com/lG3egYuHgJ

— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) May 18, 2019

Report: Tennessee Taxpayers Pay for White Nationalists’ Security (2)

“Law enforcement deployed for 2019’s American Renaissance event included Tennessee State Park Rangers on ATVs, Tennessee State Troopers, a Tennessee Department of Corrections Strike Team, and deputies from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office,” reads the Unicorn Riot post. “A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation mobile command center and a Department of Corrections prison bus were both parked directly outside the conference center.”

MuckRock

Protestors told Unicorn Riot that they were denied a permit to rent a pavilion more than a half of a mile away from the conference center.

Report: Tennessee Taxpayers Pay for White Nationalists’ Security (3)

MuckRock reporter Hoover said, for now, taxpayers have to pay for all that protection.

“The extra security needed to prevent Montgomery Bell from becoming another Charlottesville costs money, and the state of Tennessee wants white nationalist groups that rent the conference center to pick up the tab,” Hoover wrote. “For this year’s conference, the state demanded that American Renaissance agree to pay for any extra security costs related to the protests and cover the costs of any damages to the park caused by protesters.”

The groups still haven’t paid any money for the added security.

Last weekend, an event called the Nationalist Solutions Conference was held at Montgomery Bell park. That event was hosted by the Council of Conservative Citizens and the American Freedom Party, both white supremacy groups. The conference featured speakers like David Duke, a former KKK Grand Wizard, and James Edwards, host of the Bartlett-based radio show called “The Political Cesspool,” which the SPLC calls “racist” and “anti-Semitic.”
Nationalist Solutions

A flyer for the Nationalist Solutions shows featured speakers, including former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke.

According to news site News2Share, dozens of antifa protestors were there to protest. Its video shows mounted police, a TBI mobile unit, Rutherford County Sheriffs deputies, park rangers, and more.

Report: Tennessee Taxpayers Pay for White Nationalists’ Security (3)

Several bills before the Tennessee General Assembly were aimed at government transparency this year. Some hit. Some missed. One was sent out for some of that famous “summer study.”

All of this information comes from the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG), a group that (you guessed it) advocates for government transparency here. A recent roundup of bills found moves on “harassing” records requesters, economic development deals, and 911 calls.

“Harassment”

A bill was delayed this year that would have stopped records requesters from making further requests if a judge found the requests made a records custodian “be seriously abused, intimidated, threatened, or harassed.”

The bills’ sponsors, Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) and Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) said the bill was filed at the request of city of Gallatin. Officials there said they’d been overwhelmed by requests from one requester.

An amendment to the bill gave a pass to journalists as requests for the purposes of broadcasting, publishing, or distributing information to others could not constitute harassment.

The sponsors delayed the bill until 2020.

No Deal (Information)

Economic development trumps transparency in Tennessee, according to a report in MuckRock.

Lawmakers shot down a bill that would have made public more information about government-led economic development deals.

From the story written by Kent Hoover:

“Under current law, economic development officials disclose information about grants awarded to companies who open corporate headquarters, manufacturing plants, data centers, or select other facilities in the state.

But they don’t disclose who gets the millions of dollars in tax credits the state offers these companies, nor what the state gets in return for these investments in terms of new jobs and capital expenditures. Tax information about specific companies is confidential under state law.”

A bill would have made public what companies got tax breaks, where they are located, how many jobs they create, and how much money they spend on machinery and other capital investments.

The bill was spurred by Gov. Bill Lee’s call for more transparency in government, according to the story. But it met push back from economic development officials who said the bills would make Tennessee less competitive for deals.

911

Lawmakers wanted to make 911 calls and transmission confidential, but the bill was pulled as the sponsor wanted more time to study the issue over the issue.

The bill would have made calls open only to law enforcement, courts, and other governmental agencies.

The Tennessee Press Association and Tennessee Association of Broadcasters lobbied against the bill, pointing out that access to 911 calls have led to numerous news stories uncovering problems within the 911 system.