Lin Newborn (May 7, 1974 – July 4, 1998) was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

anti-racist skinhead who was murdered by white supremacists in July 1998 alongside his friend, Daniel Shersty.

Description

Newborn spent much of his adult life campaigning against

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

. He specialized in de-programing young, newly recruited Nazi Skinheads, convincing them that they could be a part of a greater family that didn't discriminate against religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation. He taught that love and unity were stronger than hatred. A native of

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...

, he lived in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

where he was a member of the Las Vegas Unity Skins and sang in the band Counter Culture (a local Las Vegas punk band) and later in Life of Lies which ended around 1996. On July 4, 1998,

white supremacists White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

murdered Newborn at the age of 24 along with his friend, Daniel Shersty. On July 6, 1998, Newborn's body was found three miles west of

U.S. Highway 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 begins in San Luis, ...

near Rome Boulevard, within of Shersty's body. Police state that the victims were lured by two women, under the pretext of attending a party. Newborn and Shersty were taken to a northwest part of the valley, where they were beaten and possibly tortured before being shot to death. Police speculate that Newborn may have been trying to escape when he was killed. John "Polar Bear" Butler (then 26), a known

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. He was allegedly the leader of a group called the Independent Nazi Skins. After appealing, Butler's death sentence was vacated and he was given four life terms without parole. He is registered with the

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is a combined city and county law enforcement agency for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is headed by the Sheriff of Clark County, ...

's gang unit as a white supremacist. He is currently housed at High Desert State Prison in Nevada.

Poem

In a poem dated December 5, 1993, Newborn may have been predicting his own death. Language from the poem mirrors that of a threatening note found in Butler's stolen Jeep, which reads, in part ""'Do you know this punk ass SHARP named Spit ewborn's moniker You pulled a gun on his bitch.'" The letter writer also wanted "this punk Spit to know that he can be reached out and touched." The poem (which may be titled "Shell" because of the picture of a shell at the top with the word written in it), reads:

Shell -- IDYLL KYLLJOI SPITX COME AND TOUCH ME, GREAT FATHER.... DEATH! Tis for you I Walk the Edge! Tis for you I Cross the Line! Tis for you Ive icDIED Again. Set me FREE FROM my hell I don't want to FACE you! You are here... but only for me now! So now I've died! Is this my hell? Is this my hell? Is this my hell? The Fucking Angels ARE gone I'm slane icagain There's nothing here Except my shell, my shell, my shell is sold to you Again my shell is yours again, touch me, but only to SET ME FREE! I can't be slane icanymore! I can't be yours anymore!

References

External links

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Butler sentenced to die for slayingsRacist Skinheads - Nazi Skinhead gets death in murder of antiracistsRIP Spit and Dan - Las Vegas City Life commentaryOrlando Weekly Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newborn, Lin American anti-racism activists Assassinated American activists 1974 births 1998 deaths People murdered in Nevada Deaths by firearm in Nevada People from Pomona, California