Severna Park Representative Has Ties To Hate Organization
In the days following the murder of U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant Richard Collins, a 23-year-old student at Bowie State University, Anne Arundel County residents were devastated.
The alleged murderer, 22-year-old Sean Urbanski, is one of our own – a Severna Park High School graduate attending the University of Maryland. The FBI discovered Urbanski was in contact with a hate group on Facebook called Alt Reich Nation that promotes extreme hatred against non-whites, especially African Americans, as well as Jews and Muslims.
Many County residents were aghast and immediately reached out to County Councilman Michael Peroutka, whose own alliance with the white supremacist group League of the South is now a well-known stain on the 5th district, and demanded he introduce a resolution disavowing white supremacist and hate groups in the name of Richard Collins.
Peroutka ignored the requests until Thursday when he came up with a short email form-letter response to constituents and other county citizens who asked him to speak out against hate crimes and hate groups. He called the incident a “horrible tragedy” but chastised letter writers for wanting anything from him beside his thoughts and prayers:
“…I absolutely reject those who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for partisan political gain. Many of their comments are emotionally based and some seem to me wildly inappropriate and insensitive. I desire no part in this.”
At the funeral for Collins on Friday, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, the Prince George’s County Council, the President of Bowie State University, the Army major who commissioned Collins days before his murder, several men and women religious leaders, and the family of Collins, all denounced racial hatred and hate groups that lead to violence against people color.
Did Peroutka, who attended the funeral, hear these impassioned pleas made to an audience of approximately 1,000 mostly African American grievers? Did Peroutka find any insight into why political leaders should take a stand against people in our community who become enraged with hate and commit atrocious acts against others?
Peroutka did not stay after the funeral to speak to any of the people who were there grieving, many of whom are fearful that some white terrorist from a hate group like League of the South or Alt Reich Nation will murder their sons and daughters because of the color of their skin.
Instead, Peroutka made a beeline for the parking lot. The APat wanted to know if Councilman Peroutka was touched by the words he heard?
“How did you feel about the funeral?” an APat reporter asked Peroutka as he hurried toward his car. “Will you sign the county anti-hate resolution?”
“I think what you’re doing is very inappropriate right now, ma’am,” he told our reporter.
Mr. Peroutka, how is asking an elected politician to stand up against white supremacy and racist hatred inappropriate? We can think of a lot of things that are inappropriate, namely, having an elected leader in Anne Arundel County who spent at least ten years with a group that celebrates John Wilkes Booth for murdering Abraham Lincoln and has the goal of turning the American South into a “godly” nation run by an “Anglo-Celtic elite.”
We’re still wondering why he was at the funeral at all.
–APat
Comments: Please see our Facebook post.
Here is the entirety of the letter from Councilman Peroutka to constituents and other members of the AA County community who reached out to him asking for a resolution denouncing hate groups:
I have been contacted by a number of people from outside my Council District asking why I haven’t publicly commented on the tragic death of Richard Collins. They believe that because the alleged perpetrator once resided in Severna Park, that I should make a comment of condemnation.
In fact, I did offer a comment when asked by a reporter from the Capital Gazette.
First, this is a horrible tragedy. Period. Lt. Collins, like all Americans, deserves to walk the streets of the University of Maryland freely and without the threat of injury. His alleged assailant, if proven guilty, deserves to go to jail. Period. No matter the motivation, nobody should be attacked and killed.
I say alleged assailant because under our legal system, people are considered innocent until or unless proven guilty. I am confident that the legal system in Prince George’s County will vigorously pursue a just outcome.
However, I absolutely reject those who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for partisan political gain. Many of their comments are emotionally based and some seem to me wildly inappropriate and insensitive. I desire no part in this.
My heart goes out to both families and I will continue to keep them in my prayers.
