Antonella Longo
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A Massachusetts judge has ordered a North Texas-based white supremacy group and its leader to pay a Black man $2.75 million after the man was injured by the group’s members during a Boston “flash march” in 2022.
Charles Murrell III, a musician and activist, will receive compensation for physical and psychological injuries, pain and suffering, lost wages and future earnings, and punitive damages from the organization Patriot Front, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled Monday.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center identify Patriot Front as a white supremacist group, and Alex Horn, regional director of ADL Texoma, told the Observer the decision could play a role in destabilizing Patriot Front.
“We applaud U.S. District Judge Talwani’s decision because the ruling makes it clear that hate-based violence will not be tolerated,” Horn said in a statement. “While it remains to be seen if this case will have a major impact on this group’s future, civil cases have historically been a critical component in dismantling the operations of hate groups in the United States.”
According to court documents, Murrell was walking through the Back Bay section of Boston over the Fourth of July weekend in 2022 when he encountered around 100 members of Patriot Front marching near the public library. The group did not have a permit for the march and carried shields, flags and signs reading “RECLAIM AMERICA.”
As Murrell encountered the marchers he was called racial slurs, pushed against a light pole and knocked to the ground by Patriot Front members, the documents state. Murrell told investigators that Patriot Front founder Thomas Rousseau – a Grapevine native and graduate of Coppell High School – yelled instructions to the assailants as Murrell was hit and kicked. He testified that he “thought he was going to die” during the attack.
“While it remains to be seen if this case will have a major impact on this group’s future, civil cases have historically been a critical component in dismantling the operations of hate groups in the United States.” – Alex Horn, Anti-Defamation League
A detective with the Boston Police Department’s Civil Rights Unit found the attack was “more likely than not motivated in whole or in part by anti-Black bias,” court documents say. The Anti-Defamation League considers Patriot Front to be “the most prolific spreader of white supremacist content nationwide,” subscribing to and promoting anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Black and antisemetic ideologies.
“Murrell’s attackers showed no remorse for their actions,” Talwani wrote. “Instead, Patriot Front and Rousseau glorified the attack by posting a video online with a clip of the group pinning Murrell against the light post and pushing him into the busy road, to promote the view that non-white individuals like Murrell should be subordinated to white people.”
After the attack Murrell had lacerations on his hand and head and bruising on his arms and face, court documents say. Attorneys for Murrell state that the hand injury has permanently impacted his ability to play musical instruments for long periods of time. A psychologist found that since the attack, Murrell has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder that “impact his ability to function.”
Even with the psychological impacts of the attack, Murrell told Boston news station WCVB that pursuing a lawsuit against Patriot Front was a decision influenced by history.
“My grandparents talked about their parents being hunted by the Klu Klux Klan. That was the clarity of why I had to do this really small thing,” Murrell said.
Rousseau started Patriot Front after splintering from Vanguard America, a white supremacist group that helped organize the Unite the Right rally in August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, where one woman was killed.
The group has grown into a leading distributor of supremacist propaganda that is disguised to look patriotic. As for Rousseau, the Southern Poverty Law Center points to his days as a writer for Coppell High School’s student newspaper, The Sidekick, where he honed his far-right opinions and communication skills.
Since the group’s formation in 2017, several North Texas communities have reported Patriot Front-led sticker and flyer campaigns that promote anti-immigrant, nationalistic ideals. Many other cities across the country have reported “flash marches” similar to the one that took place in Boston, leading experts to warn of the group’s increasing visibility.
