Case Goes On
A court hearing about littering is turned into a First
Amendment battle by a rejuventated hate group.
LONNY GOLDSMITH STAFF WRITER
M
ichelle Wilson and Tara
Hopkins, ticketed in
Huntington Woods for
scattering anti-Semit-
ic literature last month, took dif-
ferent stances on Tuesday in
Oak Park District Court.
The tickets stemmed from a
July 13 incident in which the
pair was stopped for leaving
anti-Semitic and racist litera-
ture from the Church of the Cre-
ator on lawns and driveways.
"We have the First Amend-
ment right to distribute religious
articles on public and private
property," Wilson said after
Tuesday's hearing.
Wilson told prosecutor Eu-
gene Lumberg prior to the hear-
ing that she would plead no
contest. When she went before
the judge, she changed her plea
to not guilty.
"I changed my plea because
I was wrongly treated, and I was
not going to give up my rights,"
she said.
IDES
Wilson also mentioned her de-
sire to have the almost 400
copies of the Church of the Cre-
ator paper, "FACTS That The
Government and the Media
Don't Want You To Know," re-
turned to her.
According to Lumberg, First
Amendment rights can only
stretch so far.
"She has the right to voice her
opinion, but she can't break the
law in doing it," he said. "Her
rights end when she steps on
someone else's. A person can't
yell 'fire' in a crowded theater
and stand behind their First
Amendment rights."
Hopkins, who attended the
hearing with her boyfriend,
Warren Thompson, claimed she
wasn't sure what she had gotten
herself into.
"I don't care about any orga-
nization or church that Michelle's
with," Hopkins said. "I helped
her because she's a friend who
asked for it."
Wilson, on the other hand, the organization from the headquarters for Resistance
said that Hopkins, her friend East Peoria, Ill.,.world head- Records was raided by police.
of 10 years, volunteered to quarters.
According to Wilson, she has
help without being asked.
"Hale's been into this for a been in constant contact with
Hopkins, who is not a member while," said Cohen. "He was first the headquarters waiting for ad-
of the Church of the Creator, arrested when he was 19 for dis- vice on how to proceed.
said she didn't read the paper tributing hate letters and car-
"I've been getting support
because Wilson wouldn't give rying anti-Jewish signs that had from headquarters, and we're
her a copy.
swastikas on them."
making decisions as we go
Hopkins has an appointment
The Church recently resur- along," she said. 'We'll fight this
scheduled with a probation faced when a Highland Town- as far as we have to."
officer, and Wilson must return ship home which served as the
to meet with
Judge Marvin F.
Frankel for a pre-
trial hearing on
Aug. 19. Neither
woman had an at-
torney at the hear-
ing.
According to Don
Cohen, Michigan
region director for
the Anti-Defama-
tion League, the
Church has just re-
cently re-formed af-
ter the founder, Ben
Klasser, died. "It's a
small group, but
they have a history
of activity that is in-
creasing nationally,"
said Cohen.
The current head
of the Church of the
Creator is Matt
Hale, who runs Warren Thompson, Tara Hopkins and Michelle Wilson confer in court.
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