Sikh temple gunman thrived as neo-Nazi musician
OAK CREEK, Wis. — Few can know what goes through the twisted mind of a mass killer, but Wade Michael Page left behind plenty of signs that he was consumed by one thing: hate.
Page, 40, was identified by police Monday as the gunman who killed six worshipers Sunday morning at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis. Local and federal authorities said they were investigating whether the shooting was an act of domestic terrorism.
The bald, heavy man decorated in tattoos and shot dead in an exchange with police played in hate bands and used hate-filled heavy-metal music to recruit white supremacists to the cause. Page played at gatherings around the country including Hammerfest, the biggest festival of the obscure neo- Nazi genre, the “Lollapalooza of hate,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Though police are still seeking clues as to what, specifically, triggered the rampage, Page had immersed himself in a skinhead music scene that is small yet virulent and off the radar screen of most Americans. Even so, the loosely aligned movement is active enough to alarm those who monitor hate groups and believe their activity is on the rise.
“There is an entire underworld out there of white supremacist music that the public basically has no idea of,” says Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Atlanta-based center, which tracks hate groups.
“The lyrics to the songs these bands sing could not be printed in any newspaper in this country. They are incredibly vile. They call for the murder of all Jews, all black people. When we say it's hate music, we're not kidding,” Potok said.
Teresa Carlson, the FBI special agent in charge, confirmed that investigators are probing Page's ties to white supremacy groups.
Just weeks after the nation reeled in the horror of a gunman's massacre in an Aurora, Colo., theater, a familiar ritual was taking place Monday night as Sikhs and non-Sikhs gathered at a Brookfield temple in suburban Milwaukee to show their respect for those killed across town while merely practicing their faith.
