>> i understand what christian picciolini is saying. i would agree with that in the general case, as a family out there has somebody who is starting to fall into the white supremacist kind of mind trap. but in peter's individual case, i have to think that he simply too far gone. before the break, i was talking about how he as a person is a bit unstable and unhinged. part of the reason why my cousin and i wanted to have him kind of formally his own from the family him.rankly, we do fear like i said, he gets very emotional very suddenly if he is even slightly flustered. he is very strong. a lot of family members just don't feel safe around him. so while there is the consideration of how best can we deal with him in such a way he can still come back to us, there is also the consideration of in the meanti, cod you potentially hurt u would it be more healthy for estimation he is not in our presence -- at least, until he on his own can find his way back? amy: christian, any words of wisdom here? not only did you move away from white supremacy

ask christian picciolini. that's him nearly 25 years ago, a leader in the skinhead movement. are the people who make up the rank and file of the white supremacist movement? >> you know, jim, it's the average american. it's our mechanics. it's our dentists. it's our teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses. and, unfortunately, that's the way it's turned into in the last 30 years. >> reporter: born and raised in working class chicago, he joined his first white power gang at 14 before quitting eight years later and starting a nonprofit to combat hate. this notion that white ll around us, it's a very scary picture you repaint. asuprtsacis >> it is. unfortunately, it's a reality.we than 900 active hate groups in the u.s., a number that's growing. >> this is a movement that is really fueled at this moment by a lot of young, angry white men, who tracks hate groups for the s.p.l.c., agrees with the former skinhead picciolini. >> it is absolutely false to think that people in the white rks with no education.re rea >> reporter: christian picciolini takes it further, saying no one should be s

people who are in this movement. >> reporter: this past january, the obama administration gave picciolini's group $400,000 to continue its work battling hate groups. then in june, the trump administration told them the grant, anthony, had been canceled. >> mason: jim axelrod. thank you, jim. six executives have now resigned in protest from the president's 28-member manufacturing council. the president lashed out at them. here's julianna goldman. >> they're not taking their job seriously as it pertains to this country. >> reporter: it was the third attack since the weekend on c.e.o.s the president had hand picked as outside economic advisers. >> it's an honor to be here today. >> reporter: like intel c.e.o. brian krzanich who stood next to president trump in february and praised his tax policies. after the president's response to the violence in charlottesville, krzanich and the leaders of under armour, merck, and the alliance for american manufacturing stepped down. mr. trump lashed out in a tweet, "for every c.e.o. that drops out of the manufacturing council, i have many to take their plac

for more, we are joined by christian picciolini, cofounder of life after hate.was a leading neo-nazi skinhead gang member and far right extremist in the 1980's and 1990's. author of "romantic violence: memoirirs of an american skinhead." welcome to democracy now! talk about your response to what happened in charlottesville. >> well, i think i went to bed, amy, on sunday with a sick feeling in my estimate like most americans did. but have to take what i saw last night was a community gathering together was what america means to me. i saw people of all different races from all different colors, creeds, religions, gathered together to pay homage to a woman who essentially gave her life to fight something that is very un-american. and that gives me hope. that gives me hope for america because i know that we want to be able to l live in a country wherere we can get along, wheree have equal justice, were the systems of racism and the institution are rebooted so that they are fair for everybody. i think this is a turning point for america because i think we can stop sw

next we hear from christian picciolini as he recalls his life as a member of the neo-nazi skinhead gang. his memoir is called "romantic violence." this is about an hour and a half. >> good evening. i am abraham foxman. i'm currently director of the center for the semitism and from time to time i have an opportunity to welcome some of our guests particularly in the area of prejudice and engage with them with conversation. after our guests speaks and makes his presentation i will begin with some questions and make the floor available to you to ask him, argue with him

next we hear from christian picciolini as he recalls his life as a member of the neo-nazi skinhead gang. his memoir is called "romantic violence." this is about an hour and a half. >> good evening. i am abraham foxman. i'm currently director of the center for the semitism and from time to time i have an opportunity to welcome some of our guests particularly in the area of prejudice and engage with them with conversation. after our guests speaks and makes his presentation i will begin with some questions and make the floor available to you to ask him, argue with him whatever makes you happy. >> microphone. >> i will. we are delighted to welcome to, memoirs of an american skinhead with its author who lived through those experiences, christian picciolini. christian is here to shed light on his unlike the path as the sun up to hard-working immigrants and becoming the leader of the chicago area skinheads when he was still a teenager. after leaving the violent movement he was part of during his youth he began the painstaking process of rebuilding his life. in the year 2009 he cofounded an org

elle reeve of vice news tonight and cofounder of the group life after hate christian picciolini.k to you on point that christian was making. one of the things in the documentary i thought was interesting was explicit way in which some of the members of these groups said, we're launching a new phase to get publicity. can you describe that a little bit what they were trying to do? >> yeah, this has been largely an internet movement. these guys didn't live together, hang out together they just swarmed together online. and so this is a movement to hold physical space. they have taken tactics from left wing organizers and show that they're strong and they have camaraderie. also are focusing on what they call aesthetics. they want to look class, successful, don't want to look like the old, as they called it white trash racist of the old times. >> dickerson: christian, let me ask you about the work that you do. trying to help stop this from your own history. you have a federal grant now and tell us about your work how that fits into what elle was talking about? >> well, how it fits into

memoirs of an american skinhead with its author who lived through those experiences, christian picciolini. christian is here to shed light on his unlike the path as the sun up to hard-working immigrants and becoming the leader of the chicago area skinheads when he was still a teenager. after leaving the violent movement he was part of during his youth he began the painstaking process of rebuilding his life. in the year 2009 he cofounded an organization called life after hate, a nonprofit organization helping people to disengage from hate and violent extremism. in 2015 christian decided to share his journey from hate to understanding in a book and be published a book called "romantic violence" memoirs of an american skinhead. following his talk i will ask him some questions and you will have an opportunity to engage with him. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, abe. it's a real pleasure to be here first of all. don't be distracted by the terrible view that's outside. i may be but please don't. my name is christian picciolini and my journey here actually started not in 1973 in november on a

as abe said my name is christian picciolini and my journey actually started not in 1973 but 22 years ago in 1995 when i left finally the organization, the american neo nazi skin-head movement. i was 22 year's old at the time but i had spent eight years, every single time of teen years as part of american neo-nazi skinhead gang. before that i was a relatively normal teenager. i had a thing for chachi. my parents were italian immigrants who came in the 1960'sia they were often the victims of prejudice themselves. racism wasn't something that i grew up with. it was quite the opposite. we had people of different cultures and religions visited. i became very comfortable with that. but because my parents were immigrants they also had to work very hard in this country. they opened a small beauty shop in the south side of chicago and that kept them busy seven days a week and sometimes 14 hours a day so i didn't really see my parents very much. i had lived in a very italian part of chicago but when i was born, my parents moved me to a very, let's say, a place that lacked diversity, it was ver

real pleasure to be here don't be distracted by that terrible view outside my name is christian picciolini and i dirty here began 1973 november 43 years ago but 22 years ago in 1995 when i left finally the neo-nazis skinheads that i helped build almost from the very beginning. twenty-two years old at the time but i had already spent eight years every single one of my formative teenagers as part of the neo-nazi skinhead gained but before that i was a relatively normal teenager. i had a thing florida -- for happy days my parents were italian immigrants who came in the '60s and they were often the victims of prejudice them sell so racism is not what i grew up with that was the opposite. we always have different people of cultures and religions visiting and i became very comfortable with that but because they were immigrants the also had to work very hard in this country. they opened a small beauty shop in chicago in that kept them busy seven days a week sometimes 14 hours a day. i lived in a very italian part of chicago but when i was born they move me to a place that lacked diversity that wa