THIS DAY IN HISTORY JUNE 18

1984 A radio host is gunned down for his controversial views

Alan Berg
Born Alan Harrison Berg
January 1, 1934
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died June 18, 1984 (aged 50)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Cause of death Assassination
Resting place Waldheim Jewish Cemetery
Forest Park, Illinois
Nationality American
Occupation Lawyer, radio show host
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg#References

Talk radio icon Alan Berg, the self-described “man you love to hate,” is gunned down and killed instantly in the driveway of his home in Denver, Colorado, on this day in 1984. The 50-year-old host, whose show on the station KOA gained a strong following in the early 1980s, stirred up controversy with his outspoken personality, abrasive approach, and liberal views. He had already been the target of a steady stream of death threats.

One of the suspects in Berg’s murder, Bruce Pierce—leader of a neo-Nazi organization called the Order—was arrested nearly a year later in Georgia, driving a van that contained machine guns, grenades, dynamite, and a crossbow. His right-wing extremist group had been linked to many armored-car robberies in the West.

Motto: "Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms" (Jeremiah 51:20, KJV)
Formation September 1983; 34 years ago
Extinction December 1984
Type White supremacist, Christian Identity, neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, white separatist, white nationalist, domestic terrorist, revolutionary
Purpose Paramilitary fomenting white nationalist revolt against the "Zionist Occupation Government" and establishment of an all-white homeland in the Pacific Northwest
Location
United States
Key people
Robert Jay Mathews (leader)
David Lane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg#References

David Lane and Richard Scutari, Pierce’s alleged accomplices, were caught a short time later. Authorities believed that Robert Matthews, the founder of the Order, was also involved, but he had died in a fire caused by a shootout with FBI agents near Seattle, Washington, in December 1984.

After Pierce, Lane, and Scutari were charged with violating Berg’s civil rights, a jury concluded that Pierce had been responsible for shooting Berg, while Lane had driven the getaway car. Scutari was acquitted.

Alan Berg’s story provided the loose inspiration for Oliver Stone and Eric Bogosian’s 1988 film “Talk Radio.” In the years since his murder, radio talk hosts have been known to be even more abrasive and controversial than Berg.
https://www.history.com

Ultimately, two members of The Order, David Lane, and Bruce Pierce were convicted on charges of civil rights violations for their involvement in the case, though neither were ever charged or convicted of homicide. Lane and Pierce were sentenced to 190 years and 252 years in prison, respectively. Lane died in prison in 2007 and Pierce died in prison in 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg#References