Over the weekend we learned that a former Boise Police captain was speaking at the American Renaissance Conference in Burns, Tennessee.
The organization’s website is part of the New Century Foundation, which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “a self-styled think tank that promotes pseudo-scientific studies and research that purport to show the inferiority of Blacks to Whites.”
American Renaissance portrays White people as superior to Black people and says people of color commit more crimes than White people.
The Idaho Statesman reports the retired Boise Police captain, Matthew Bryngelson, has appeared on the website before under the apparent pseudonym of Daniel Vinyard. Vinyard wrote web posts for the blog site and was interviewed at one point talking about what it’s like to be a White cop.
Since the news came out, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean's office, the Boise Police Department and others have condemned Bryngelson’s views. McLean said she is launching a full investigation.
Boise City Council members Patrick Bageant and Lisa Sánchez, the past President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #11 Joe Andreoli and Brian Holland, Public Information Officer with the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local #486 joined Idaho Matters to talk more.