This is my town.
Nashville belongs to us — not the out-of-state neo-Nazis who have created havoc on our streets with their symbols of hate and vile words.
Members of the Goyim Defense League harassed people in the heart of Nashville's entertainment district, berating a lesbian mom who had just left a restaurant.
"You're a sodomite. You go to hell," the group's leader, Jon Minadeo, snapped at the mother.
An incredible photo snapped by photojournalist John Partipilo of the Tennessee Lookout showed the woman's young daughter cowering behind her mom in tears.
Later, the neo-Nazis assaulted a bartender who had confronted the group.
One of their group, Ryan Scott McCann from Canada, was arrested after he used the flagpole of his Nazi flag to jab the bartender.
They also took their venom to Nashville's West End Synagogue.
They returned to the historic Metro Courthouse, live streaming their protest to their followers and repeatedly challenging officers who were doing their jobs.
"How much do you think the Jews are paying this guy?" Minadeo asked, pointing to a 30-year veteran of the Metro Nashville Police Department.
There, on what is now the Diane Nash Plaza — named after the civil rights legend who came here to confront a Nashville mayor and a community's racism — I decided to confront the hate that has once again reared its ugly head.
"I'm curious: Why Nashville? Why did you guys choose Nashville?" I asked Minadeo.
A fellow GDL member, Nicholas Bysheim, quickly answered.
"It's the only place that respects freedom of speech," Bysheim said.
Minadeo added, "Yeah, this city respects freedom of speech, but communist Jews like yourself don't."
A Californian who moved to Florida, Minadeo leads the hate group as it goes around the country trying to create scenes that they hope will bring them attention and followers.
One of their favorite tropes: Falsely accusing Jews of being pedophiles.
"You really dislike pedophiles, don't you?" I told Minadeo.
"Yeah, get a shot, get a shot." He pointed to some of the group's vile banners.
"Well," I continued. "I have a photo of you with a pedophile right here."
That's Minadeo on the left.
And, on the right, a member of his group, Jesse Shenk, who was busted three years ago when he tried to meet up with someone for sex he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
"So one of your own group was a pedophile," I explained.
"No, he wasn't," Minadeo shot back. "He got set up by police — and he got kicked out of the group."
"He tried to have sex with a 14-year-old girl," I said.
"He got kicked out of the group once we found out — day of," Minadeo said.
We wanted to know if Shenk might be one of Minadeo's crew who were wearing masks to disguise their identities.
It was not a question that Minadeo wanted to answer.
He began to lead his group in a chant, "Pedophile protector, pedophile protector, pedophile protector."
I held up the photo to remind him, "There's you with a pedophile."
The chants continued. "Pedophile protector, pedophile protector."
This tactic — resorting to yelling as a diversion — would play out again and again as I attempted to confront the group — with facts — about the lies they tell their followers.
I continued, "So you have a problem with Jews in general though?"
"Yes, I do," he admitted.
I pulled out a flyer in which his group claims that "the COVID agenda is Jewish."
"Debunk it," Minadeo demanded.
In fact, the men who led the nation's COVID-19 response — Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Anthony Fauci — are both Catholic.
"Dr. Fauci was Catholic. Dr. Fauci wasn't Jewish," I reminded him.
"I didn't say he was."
"You said the COVID agenda is Jewish."
"Look at all the names. No, no, those are the names."
Minadeo only wanted to talk about Jews who have been involved in the public health response.
Which is the group's M.O. — dismiss any facts that don't fit their narrative.
For example, they have a flyer that declares "every single aspect of the Biden administration is Jewish."
I pushed back, "The vice president is Baptist."
Minadeo shot back, "80 percent, 80 percent Jewish."
"You said every aspect."
"I said 80% — 2% minority."
But I had done my homework.
"The secretary of defense is Catholic. The secretary of interior is Catholic. The secretary of commerce is Catholic. The secretary of health is Catholic. The secretary of transportation is Episcopalian. The secretary of energy is Catholic."
Minadeo was done with actual facts.
"Ok, next flyer. Let's go."
I continued, "The secretary of education is Catholic."
And I had more examples that debunked the group's hateful claims.
That's when Minadeo turned to the followers on his livestream, "This guy is a liar."
Over and over, it became clear that these are people who are blind to any facts that don't support their hate.
I wanted to know, "How many of you guys have criminal records?"
Again, it was a question that Minadeo didn't want to answer.
"What's your criminal record — touching kids?"
Not surprisingly, there are quite a few arrests among these characters.
Minadeo spent a month in jail last year after authorities in Florida got fed up with the group littering their neighborhoods with its hate messages.
Others, we discovered, also have a variety of criminal charges in their pasts.
It was time for me to speak my truth.
"Can I be honest with you guys?"
"You're a loser, scumbag," Minadeo responded.
"When I look at you guys, I do not think 'master race.'"
At that point, Boysheim interjected, "You're old and about to die. Your time is coming to its end."
In fact, what I saw was a group of wounded, angry men who've never accomplished much in their own lives, looking for someone else to blame.
"You're worse than the Jews," Minedeo shouted.
Again, more of my truth: "I really feel sorry for you guys."
Boysheim shot back, "I don't give a f**k what you feel sorry for. You're going to be in a grave soon, you dumb f**king, sell-off boomer."
Minadeo chimed in, "F**k you, boomer."
As I walked away, I felt an overriding feeling of sadness.
These are really pathetic human beings.
They are the only ones who seem not to know it.
This story was originally published by Phil Williams at Scripps News Nashville.
