Alt-right group meets in Coeur d'Alene with 'SWAT team vibe'

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – A group of alternative rights activists gathered in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday for a “756 Dark” rally at McEuen Park.

The event, billed as an “anti-human trafficking event,” was co-organized by Caleb Altmeyer, the founder of Helping Captives, an organization with informal ties to the Arizona anti-government organization Veterans on Patrol, according to The Inlander.

While Altmeyer interacted with members of Veterans on Patrol, he told The Inlander that there is no official partnership between his organization and the Arizona group.

Helping Captives purchase Deja Vu, a former adult club in Spokane Valley, in February. In a “men’s revival and stage smashing,” a group of men destroyed the event’s stage.

While Altmeyer said the event was to combat human trafficking, former artists at the club criticized the event in interviews with The Spokesman Review.

“The smashing of the stage itself is so disingenuous. To say that we are turning this place of exploitation into a place of God is not right when we were all there consensually,” one dancer told the Review.

Helping Captives could not be reached for an interview Saturday evening.

On Saturday evening, people wearing heavy vests and carrying weapons could be seen walking through the park. According to the event's website, the rally is intended to remember law enforcement while supporting victims of human trafficking.

“Experience a powerful 75.6-minute melee through McEuen Park, together in unity (think SWAT TEAM vibes) under the CDA night sky,” the event flyer reads.

In addition to connections with alt-right groups, the event also cultivates contacts with notable media personalities. Co-organizer Nate Lewis is the director and host of a podcast called “The War on Innocence.”

Several anti-government groups have been active in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane in recent years, including the American Patriots Three Percent, which is classified as an anti-government extremist group by the Anti-Defamation League and is classified as a white supremacist group.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 25 hate and anti-government groups were active in Idaho in 2023, with the majority of their activity concentrated in Coeur d'Alene and Boise.

FOX28 Spokane©