Officers Accused of Hate Group Ties Suspended in Alabama
The City of Anniston, Alabama has placed two police officers on administrative leave while it investigates accusations they belong to a secessionist hate group, AL.com reports.
On Wednesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center alleged that Lt. Josh Doggrell and Lt. Wayne Brown were members of the League of the South, an organization it has long designated a hate group. From NBC News:
The article, published on the Southern Poverty Law Center blog Hatewatch, states Lt. Josh Doggrell and Lt. Wayne Brown belong to the League of the South, a group the organization describes as “neo-Confederate.” According to the watchdog, the League advocates for a Southern secession and a society dominated by “European Americans.”
“Like many of you, I was shocked yesterday by the allegations brought against two Anniston police officers,” wrote Anniston Mayor Vaughn Stewart on Twitter Thursday. “Rest assured, I am working hard to get to the bottom of it. Anniston has no tolerance for racism and hatred.”
In a video that accompanied the SPLC blog post, Doggrell recounted a supposed 2008 conversation with his then police chief where they discussed his membership in the League of the South.
“I’m not going to sell out my position with the League, as something I believe in strongly. If it came down to it, I’d choose the League,” Doggrell reports telling the chief.
According to Doggrell, the chief replied, “We pretty much think like you do.”
