We last looked at the on-going controversy about the white supremicist Asatru Folk Assembly moving into Murdock in From Willmar to Washington: more on Murdock's approval of Asatru Folk Assembly hof permit.
At the West Central Tribune on Saturday, Tom Cherveny reported in Swift County approves patrol contract for Murdock:
The city of Murdock will be contracting with the Swift County Sheriff’s Office to increase the presence of patrols by deputies in the community.
The Swift County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Tuesday approved a contract with the city of Murdock.
Swift County Sheriff John Holtz said the city expressed its interest in contracting for dedicated patrol hours. The Sheriff’s Office currently contracts with the city of Kerkhoven to provide a dedicated number of patrol hours. The contract with Murdock will charge the same rates as paid by Kerkhoven.
Sheriff Holtz said the city requested 15 hours of patrol time per month. The city of Murdock had a contract with the Sheriff’s Office for patrols many years ago, but had dropped it, he told the commissioners.
Commissioner Edward Pederson said the interest in renewing the service likely resulted from the recent arrival of the Asatru Folk Assembly in the community. The sheriff said he and Murdock Mayor Craig Kavanagh talked about that issue as well as others.
The Asatru Folk Assembly describes itself as “an expression of the native, pre-Christian spirituality of Europe.” It is designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center due to its whites-only belief system and current and former leaders espousing racist ideology.
The Murdock City Council approved the contract for dedicated patrol hours at its Dec. 9 meeting. It’s the same meeting at which it approved a conditional use permit for the Asatru Folk Assembly, which sought the permit to use a former Lutheran church as its “hof” and place of worship. The permit was needed because zoning for the former church had been changed for residential use prior to its purchase by the Asatru Folk Assembly.
Swift County will charge $38.84 per hour or an expected total of $7,009.20 to the city of Murdock in 2021 for the patrol hours. The rate increases to $40.89 per hour in 2022 and the expected annual charge to the city will be $7,360.20.
The sheriff pointed out that the Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement services to the community at all times in addition to the contract for dedicated patrol hours.
Related posts
- From Willmar to Washington: more on Murdock's approval of Asatru Folk Assembly hof permit
- Star Tribune: Murdock council anonymous vote on Asatru Folk Assembly permit may have violated Minnesota's open meeting law
- Murdock city council approves permit for whites-only Asatru Folk Assembly to re-purpose church
- Baldurshof: Third Hof of the Asatru Folk Assembly setting up in Murdock, Minnesota
- AFA gothar coordinator's life changed from police shoot-out & prison to serving old Gods
- Bluestem in the news: Strib & the Intercept
- Quiet protest is start of anti-hate movement in Murdock (West Central Tribune)
- WC Trib: "Murdock City Council, on advice of city attorney, not commenting" on whites-only group
- Resident: "We really don’t want to be known in Murdock as the center of hate in Minnesota"
Photo: The former Lutheran church in Murdock that's becoming a "hof" for the Asatru Folk Assembly.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
Venmo contributions: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Comments