The Pink Flamingo :: Is the Pruitt Furniture Incident Heading for a Showdown

The Feathered Bastard is reporting that he’s concerned about the escellating level of rhetoric that he fears is going to head to violence before long if cooler heads don’t prevail. This weekend the anti-immigration supporters were out in force, along with some noted white supremacists. Noted white supremacist Damon Ashenfelter was there holding signs protesting the presence of illegal aliens. Ashenfelter has a my space page that highlights his charming sentiments. According to The Feathered Bastard

“…Damon's MySpace is full of chest-thumping skinhead braggadocio. The 20-year-old Glendale resident states his occupation as a "heathen warrior." For "clubs," he lists the "White Seperatists [sic] Secret Society of angry bald white boys with large boots and bad tempers." He mentions that in high school, "scaring minorities" was one of his extracurricular activities. As his motto, he posts, "Hail the Order. Hail the 14 words. R.I.P. David Lane." Damon claims his weakness is, "The decline of the white race and the downfall of american society by the hands of mongrels and their general thought process." Under "books," he types, "still trying to finish...mein kampf, lords of chaos, norse gods and heroes, george lincoln rockwell - white power, norse mythology, politically correct bedtime stories, oh and i got a bible for jewmas...how convenient was that...thanks folks...*shoots myself*." His "most overused phrase on instant messenger"? "F_____ jews..." In his personal gallery is a snap of he and his fiancee at the neo-Nazi National Vanguard's Winterfest event….”

The big problem is the fact that the owner of Pruitt’s Furniture, Roger Sensing, is thick with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. So, naturally, Sheriff Joe, ever vigilant in the art of the camera, has rushed to Pruitt’s defense. Things are getting out of hand. This week there were a large number of Freedom Riders on their Harleys, Rusty Childress and his bunch, and the Pro immigration activists, all converging in what could eventually resemble the Shootout at the Ok Corral.

According to The Feathered Bastard,

“…Though after I left, I was told by a source that a driver-by threw some sort of liquid on a group of nativists. There were several right-wing extremists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis present on the nativist side of things. Familiar, truculent faces from Childress' United for a Sovereign America, for instance. White supremacist Damon Ashenfelter was present. I have a photo of him above. Other skinheads and potential troublemakers were on site. And of course Sheriff's deputies patrolled the Pruitt's lot, threatening to collar anyone who strayed onto the blacktop.

I cannot speak for the immigrants-rights folks present, but I do know that the nativist camp, as you might expect, was heavily armed and ready for any possible conflict. What worries me is the presence of women and children in this heavily armed atmosphere where two groups at each others necks would need only one hothead or provocateur to set off an O.K. Corral-type bloodbath.

"A lot of these minutemen, rolling thunder people, skinheads, Nazi people, they walk around with arms, openly," Gutierrez told me. "That’s always been a concern of ours. Because they’re angry. They want to provoke."

Indeed, as we spoke, some old nativist geezer with a megaphone loudly sang gibberish right next to us, in an obvious attempt to disrupt our conversation. Gutierrez told me that he believed the nativists were ultimately aiding his and Reza's intent to hurt Pruitt's economically.

"These people do nothing but help us," said Gutierrez. "Some are going to be inspired by these people to go in and buy a chair, but most people are going to stay away. It’s a self-inflicted wound. Signing that contract with the sheriff, that’s a self inflicted wound. Inviting Childress and all those people to come here, that’s another self-inflicted wound."…”