The Murder of Alan Berg

In the mid 1980's, members of the white supremacy group, The Order, shot and killed Jewish radio talk show host Alan Berg. The murder was motivated by hate and Alan Berg himself would have said he provoked it; his outspoken attitude was tantamount to a dare. After Alan Berg spent many years of trying to get through to his listeners and show them the injustice of bigotry, The Order proved his point for him. The Order only existed for a short period, but it will be a long time before people forget that they murdered a man simply for being an outspoken Jew.

The Murder of Alan Berg: The Victim

Alan Berg was quite vocal about his beliefs while on air. He chose to talk about inflammatory topics like race, sex and religion on his Denver-based shows. He always chose the side of the debate that was arguably rational, but the least popular among racist and Christian groups. He certainly was not making any friends in these circles. He seemed to revel in angering those who were most likely to oppose him publicly. To be fair, he was quite rude to people who did not agree with him. It is not surprising that people took umbrage to his attitude.

Alan Berg knew that some people hated him. He did not seem to mind. He continued calling them out, even after a local KKK leader allegedly burst into his studio with a gun in 1979. Berg told police, and his audience, that the man threatened him. The KKK leader - Fred Wilkins - claimed that Alan was lying to get attention. The police did not think so. The man was arrested and charged anyway.

It was this sort of blatant disregard for the dangers of calling out anti-Semitic and white supremacy groups (which could be looked at as an admirable trait) that led to Alan Berg's death. His name was added to a list of people who The Order sought to kill. Fortunately for the rest of the people on that list, Alan was the only person the bungling criminals had an opportunity to murder.

The Murder of Alan Berg: The Perpetrators

The Order was founded in 1983. Members believed that whites should be separated from people of color and Jews. Like many anti-Semitic and racist groups, The Order was anti-government as well. They hoped for a revolution in the United States that would bring their hateful hopes to fruition.

The Order was only active for one year, during which time members committed a string of felonies. The bulk of their criminal activity was robberies, but they were also guilty of two bombings and the murder of Alan Berg. They were eventually brought down by the F.B.I and their founder killed in a shootout with law enforcement.

The Murder of Alan Berg

On June 18, 1984, Alan Berg went out for dinner with his wife (who maintains that his radio personality was an act to get people to listen to him). After dinner, they drove back to their home in Denver, Colorado. While Berg was in the driveway, some members of The Order arrived and Alan was shot 13 times with an automatic weapon. He was 50-years-old.

At least four members of The Order were directly involved in the shooting. Only two were convicted, but not of murder. David Lane, the getaway driver, was convicted of violating Alan's civil rights. He spent the rest of his life in prison. Bruce Pierce, the man who pulled the trigger, was convicted of the same. He will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison. He has shown no remorse and remains true to his cockeyed beliefs.

Sources

Alan Berg, retrieved 11/8/10, nndb.com/people/586/000165091

Denver Post Staff, Thursday Marks 25 Years Since Alan Berg's Murder, retrieved 11/8/10, cbs4denver.com/local/alan.berg.murder.2.1050313.html