Keith Gilbert
By If you’re a fan of bad things happening to people who really, really deserve it, take heart in the recent arrest of white supremicist and all-around scumbag Keith Gilbert for the illegal sale of machine guns.
As I perused the PI this morning this story attracted my attention, as yours truly had a run-in with the very same Keith Gilbert many years ago in my wild youth. It’s a bit of a long story, but it culminates with an incident that was nothing short of dramatic: in the moments immediately preceding my hasty retreat, Mr. Gilbert took a hearty swing at my forehead with a large metal flashlight, ostensibly in support of an effort to place me under ‘citizens arrest’ for trespassing and attempted arson. (The full version of the story, which isn’t as exciting as the punchline might make it seem, can be purchased for the measly price of a pint of beer).
Looking back on the evening in question, I don’t recall being all that frightened–there was no indication Mr. Gilbert was in possession of any firearms, and my escape route was clear. His attempts at violence, while disconcerting, had a bit of a cartoonish quality to them at the time, and seemed to have little chance at inflicting actual harm. Imagine my surprise when I pay a visit to David Neiwart’s blog and find outmuch, much more about my old friend Keith.
Gilbert was arrested in 1965 and convicted for the theft of 1,400 pounds of TNT that he later said was part of a plot to plant a bomb under the stage of the Hollywood Palladium during an Anti-Defamation League convention, and to detonate it during the keynote speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — a plot only disrupted by his arrest…..
His chief target was a Coeur d’Alene family headed by a white woman named Connie Fort who had been married for several years to a black man and had three mixed-race children. Gilbert began by walking up to the eldest boy and spitting on him, saying: “Your life is condemned. You shall be served in front of the devil.” Having discovered where Fort’s family lived, Gilbert began driving by the home and shouting threats and obscenities at the children. He mailed an envelope containing a death threat for “race traitors” who engaged in “miscegenation.” Another mailing contained a news clipping about the corpse of a black man found floating in Spirit Lake, shot through the head.
In retrospect, perhaps I should have been a little more frightened. Neiwart goes on to describe Gilbert’s reincarnation as an enforcer for slumlords and prominent figure in the “Acme Residents Club” which are related to the circumstances of our encounter. Here’s how the Acme Residents Club works–one day, you come home from work (mid-month, rent paid in full) to find the locks on your rental have been changed, and there’s a creepy white supremicist waiting for you, trying to sell you the new keys and a membership in the Acme residents club for only $350 (this didn’t happen to me, thankfully, and my friend dealt with the situation far better than I probably would have: he headed straight for the nearest pay phone and made three calls–the police, a locksmith and a lawyer).
I’d also note that back in the late 90’s, Gilbert’s costume was bedecked with numerous pins, patches and such that were clearly meant to give the impression that he was a Vietnam war veteran. If my reading of the timeline is correct, he actually spent the Vietnam years doing time for trying to blow up Martin Luther King, Jr. Nice touch, that.