SPLC Tracked Kansas City Shooter For Years

Miller was arrested Sunday after police say he fatally shot two people in the parking lot behind the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, then drove to a retirement community where he shot a third person. 

 

Mark Potok with the Southern Poverty Law Center says they’ve been watching him for a very long time.

 

“We have tussled with this man for the better part of 40 years. Back in the 1980’s we had a lawsuit against him. After a very complicated series of backs and forths where he became a fugitive at one point, he was actually arrested and charged with, among other things, plotting the assassination of Morris Dees, the founder of SPLC,” said Potok.

 

With the attack in Kansas city coming the day before passover, Rabbi Elliot Stevens from Montgomery’s temple beth or says security has become a concern. 

 

“We have not had any direct or even hinted at threats of any sort. Nonetheless, we must all be vigilant. So the leadership of this temple have been discussing how to ensure our security during this passover that we’re celebrating over the next couple of days,” said Rabbi Stevens.

 

While there haven’t been any threats, Potok says there is a heavy presence of hate groups in the state. But just like with Miller, they’re keeping close tabs on all of them. 

 

“Well we’ve been tracking both groups and individuals in this movement very carefully going back to the 1980’s. So we’ve developed all kinds of techniques for gathering information. Some is very simple stuff, simply looking at what they write on the internet and so on,” said Potok.

 

Rabbi Stevens says he hopes that this tragedy will help shed light on the meaning of passover, which is a festival of freedom.