Local Racist and Anti-Semite Jimmy Marr Arrested in Wake of Stop Hate Rally

Many of those participating in a Stop Hate! rally in Springfield Sept. 29 were greeted by a loudspeaker, on the roof of the home of well known racist and anti-Semite Jimmy Marr, blasting offensive speech. Marr was arrested for disorderly conduct in the second degree, according to his booking at the Springfield Municipal Jail.

The permited, lawfull rally, put on by the Community Alliance of Lane County, Standing Up for Racial Justice and the NAACP as well as the Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect outside Willamalane Center, was “in reaction to increasing levels of racist, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and classist activity happening in Lane County,” the Community Alliance of Lane County said. “There have been more Confederate flags seen in the area, vandalism targeting Asian owned businesses, a truck driving around with neo-Nazi and white supremacist messages on it and more.”

Marr is the owner and driver of the neo-Nazi message emblazoned Toyota Tacoma. He has made himself notorious over the years, appearing to seek headlines and attention, with messages such as “Diversity is white genocide,” Trump: Do the white thing,” “Jew lies matter” and more. His Twitter handle is @genocideJimmy.

EW correspondent Jennefer Harper, a CodePink activist, took photos of the arrest and said police searched Marr’s home. Harper said she was walking to the rally when she encountered Marr’s house where he was blasting offensive speech such as “hate is good” from a loudspeaker on his roof. Harper has identified the speech as the words of white nationalist Kai Murros, “On Hate.”

Marr responded to EW‘s blog at 3 am, presumably after his release, writing:

White lie from Code Pink: “… says police are now searching Marr’s home.”

Police were not “searching” my house. They were, at my request, securing it in my absence from the clear and present danger posed by the mob of miscreants gathered around it.

Run along now and see if you can get Miss Kitty to shake down the SPD like she did the EPD.

EW has asked Springfield what the police were doing at Marr’s home — searching or “securing” it.

According to a media release from the Springfield Police Department, “members of the Springfield Police Department were dispatched to a noise disturbance in the 1300 block of G Street.” SPD said that “numerous citizens reported an amplified recording coming from a residence promoting ‘hatred.'”

Springfield police said that “In retaliation to the gathering, Marr installed a very large amplified speaker on the rooftop of his area home. Marr then played a pro-hatred message on a loop which repeated itself upon conclusion. The amplified message of hate could be heard for several blocks, attracting approx. 30 people who were upset by the volume of the recording, including many of Marr’s neighbors and members of the assembly.”

After “repeated attempts to contact Marr at his residence” without success, the Springfield Fire Department assisted officers with the removal of the speaker from Marr’s roof, SPD said. Marr then left his house and told police that he was “trying to get his message out to people.” He was subsequently arrested.

Marr being arrested at his Springfield home. Photos by Jennefer Harper

Marr and other “white genocide” believers have been bragging about his arrest on hate sites.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!