Violent Extremism in the Pacific Northwest

For decades, the Pacific Northwest region of the United States has served as a hotbed of domestic violent extremism, providing refuge for neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and anti-government militias. Despite the region’s progressive reputation, it has given birth to hate groups such as the Aryan Nations, The Order, and multiple secessionist movements whose legacy carries into the present day. As such, these historical trends and the current threat landscape raise important questions about why the Pacific Northwest continues to attract extremists.

Moderated by Program on Extremism Research Fellow Luke Baumgartner, our panel of esteemed guests includes:

• Leah Sottile, author and independent journalist
• Devin Burghart, Executive Director of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights
• Courtney Neurbauer, researcher at the Western States Center.

On December 10, 2024, the Program on Extremism (PoE) at The George Washington University hosted an event titled “Violent Extremism in the Pacific Northwest.” Panelists included Leah Sottile, an author and independent journalist; Devin Burghart, President and Executive Director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights; and Courtney Neubauer, a researcher at Western States Center. The panelists joined PoE Research Fellow Luke Baumgartner to discuss how the Pacific Northwest has a robust history of domestic violent extremism, providing refuge for Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and anti-government militias. The following is a summary of their remarks:

Leah Sottile

Leah Sottile began the conversation by offering insight into what constitutes the Pacific Northwest. According to Sottile, the region typically includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and occasionally Montana. She shared her connection to the region, having grown up in Oregon and working as a reporter and journalist specializing in rural reporting. When asked about the history of the Pacific Northwest, Sottile spoke about how Oregon was founded as an all-white territory, where African Americans and people of mixed races were prohibited from staying. She noted that Oregon even had “flash laws” that prohibited people of color from staying overnight in the state, despite there being little record of these laws. Sottile emphasized that Oregon’s foundation welcomed racism, with some of the original hate groups originating in rural areas where such views were tacitly accepted. In a modern context, Sottile explored the legacy of events like Ruby Ridge, which continue to inspire extremist groups by creating martyrs for their causes.

Devin Burghart

Devin Burghart offered that states in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Washington, are notorious for having “sundown towns,” which are predominantly white neighborhoods that engage in racial segregation from people of color. He stated that racism is not secluded to just these rural areas. Rather, it is an entire Pacific Northwest problem that stays alive because of the acceptance of these issues.

Burghart had a unique perspective in the discussion, as he lived in the Pacific Northwest when Robert Jay Matthews and Richard Butler were prominent. Burghart spoke about his memory of protests and demonstrations in Spokane, bank robberies, and ultimately the Pacific Northwest, providing a base for more extremism that would surface later on. He noted that the era of the 1980s would lead to these leaders attempting to create a larger national movement encompassing states outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Courtney Neubauer

Courtney Neubauer spoke on the Oregon Donation Land Act. This Act encouraged people to move out West by promising White men and married women to claim free land. Neubauer discussed how people from her town have been able to trace lineage back to the Oregon Donation Land Act and promises from the United States government of access to resources. She made it known that the West was made of a collection of “untouched states.” Courtney also discussed the Greater Idaho Movement, which seeks to incorporate Eastern Oregon's territory into Idaho, and contextualized this initiative within broader national secessionist trends. She also explained how low-level standoffs, such as the one at Oregon's Sugarpine Mine, which was initially just seen as a labor dispute, ultimately helped establish the networks used to conduct larger events like the Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.