NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal complaint Wednesday against neo-Nazi leaders following a disturbing incident at Nashville's Gordon Jewish Community Center, highlighting growing concerns about hate groups targeting Jewish communities in Middle Tennessee.
The 44-page complaint reveals a coordinated effort to intimidate Nashville's Jewish community, alleging that Travis Garland was part of conspiracies involving multiple neo-Nazi leaders to specifically target the Gordon Jewish Community Center.
The complaint details an incident on January 13 when Garland entered the Gordon Jewish Community Center wearing a Halloween costume designed to mock an Orthodox Jewish rabbi. However, according to the complaint, this was actually Garland's second visit to the campus. It says five days earlier, Garland visited the Nashville Holocaust Memorial on the JCC grounds, filming himself making obscene gestures and mocking Holocaust victims while disguised as an Orthodox Jewish man.
The complaint shows Garland was working as an administrator for neo-Nazi Paul Miller's hate-for-profit streaming enterprise when he infiltrated the JCC on January 13. Garland was on a video call with Miller and other conspirators throughout the incident, receiving real-time direction as he tried to force his way deeper into the building.
When the security guard drew his weapon, Miller can be heard on the livestream directing Garland's actions and hurling racial slurs at the Asian-American guard.
The complaint also details how this incident was connected to a larger July 2024 "intimidation tour" where GDL members spent 10 days in Nashville, attacking a young Jewish man and a biracial man, and harassing Black children downtown.
The SPLC has also filed another complaint this year on behalf of a biracial man who was victimized by the group's actions in 2024.
The complaint seeks both monetary damages and the prevention of future harassment. This legal action represents a broader effort to hold hate groups accountable for targeting vulnerable communities.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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