"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 1963.

On a day reserved to honor the civil and human rights of every American citizen, nearly 200 Carroll College students and Helenans gathered in the Carroll Campus Center late Monday night to learn more about hate groups in Montana.

"Each year we expose them (sociology students) to some issue related to the true meaning of Martin Luther King Day," said the Rev. Jerry Lowney.

This year, the sociology classes attended the forum entitled, "Terrorism at Home? Hate Groups in Montana."

Speakers included state Rep. Christine Kaufmann, D-Helena, who is also co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, and Bryon Costigan, director of criminal investigation of the Montana Department of Justice.

Sen. Ken Toole, D-Helena, was not able to attend as originally planned because of a family emergency.

The idea of the forum was to educate the community about hate groups.

Costigan, also a Carroll graduate, has over 10 years of experience working on cases in Montana.

"It comes down to civil disobedience versus criminal action," said Costigan. "Actions (Martin Luther King) took was to raise awareness."

Costigan said hate groups which don't take responsibility for their actions are actually terrorists, who are hiding behind their actions.

Montana, among several Northwestern states, is attractive to hate groups because of the high percentage of white people in this area of the country, he said.

In 1986, white supremacists declared Montana to be one of five states comprising their "Aryan homeland." Klu Klux Klan propaganda was thrown on driveways and skinheads became more and more visible.

"And it's rural with not a lot of law enforcement," Costigan added.

However, he added that groups, such as the MHRN and Southern Poverty Law Center, are examples of organizations filling in the void of what law enforcement can't do, such as bringing awareness to the community.

Since 1992, Kaufmann said she has seen a decline of hate groups throughout Montana, but that shouldn't be confused with an end to hate ideology.

"They're looking for their next way," she said.

Recently, Kaufman said, she received a call from a man whose name she said she recognized from the World Creator Church, a dying hate group in Montana.

"JR said he had something I might want," she said. JR told Kaufman that he was tired of it -- meaning the WCC. So he offered her storage boxes retrieved from a locker with information about the WCC.

Kaufmann said she was very aware that the WCC was very much in disarray. In fact, at its last gathering held in Montana, only four people were in attendance.

Some of the information JR handed over to Kaufmann included books titled, "On The Brink Of A Bloody Racial War" and "Little White Bible."

She said Montanans in recent years have responded to hate groups.

For example, in 1993, more than 6,000 Billings residents rallied together and placed pictures of Jewish menorah on their homes after a Jewish family came home to discover a cinder block had been thrown through the bedroom window of their five-year-old son.

"MLK said it was time to end the era of civil rights and begin the era of human rights," said Kaufmann.

Human rights, she said, include economic, social and cultural rights of all people.

Reporter Shawn White Wolf can be reached at 447-4028 or shawn.whitewolf@helenair.

com.