Dave Hamilton and Claude Schneider were asleep on
Sept. 23 when Utah’s St. George Fire Department called to say their
bookstore was on fire. Somebody had doused the building with
gasoline and lit a match, say St. George
police.
“This was a hate crime,” says Schneider.
“Hamilton and I are gay, and there is no other occasion for the
ugliness.”
Police have found no suspects, but
Hamilton blames the Army of Israel, one of the Rocky Mountain
militias. Militia leader John Bangerton left Las Vegas for St.
George a few years ago in order to drive gays, Jews and blacks out
of his native Utah, Hamilton says. Since then, the militia has
infiltrated a meeting of the college gay and lesbian organization
and burned a cross on a black family’s front lawn, he says.
Town leaders have ignored the growing terror,
says Hamilton, because they fear that any mention of militias will
stifle the recent boom in tourism and second-home
purchases.
Hamilton and Schneider are recent
transplants themselves: Their Seattle-style Agave Bookstore, opened
last year, has become a well-loved establishment for other
newcomers. After the fire more than 200 loyal patrons offered to
help repair $75,000 worth of damages.
“We
couldn’t leave. We have the best social life in town,” says
Schneider. When asked whether theirs was a lifestyle move, he says,
“Oh yeah, because St. George is crime-free.”
*
Heather Abel
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Sleepy St. George wakes up to hate crimes.
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