The Skokie Affair (E359)
Jake is retiring from neo-nazi research, but before he gets back to giant squids and time travelers, he's leaving us with a parting gift: a deep dive into The Skokie Affair.
In 1977 Skokie, Illinois had a population of around 70,000 and it is said that 40,500 of them were Jewish. It is for this reason that a thirty-two year old, half Jewish neo-nazi, named Frank Collin, sent the Park District of Skokie a letter asking for a permit to hold a Nazi Parade. The case that followed (Village of Skokie v. NSPA) went all the way to the US Supreme Court leading to a precedent that still stands today.
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Comments (79)
3 weeks later and Jake Lang was, in fact, caught soliciting a minor via text!
I’m from the Chicago burbs and familiar with Skokie, but the only reason I’m pre-familiar with this case is because it was the focus of an intro into an ep of Q: Into The Storm by Cullen (which obv you were in!). I’m sorry you’ve had to slog through this awful shit but thanks for always asking good questions and tackling tough problems, along with the absurd (my fave of your eps is Rockatansky Files and Loch Ness Monster)
Also gotta agree reminded me of J to the R O C
Insane to Jake fawn over JDL guys. JDL is literally a super far right supremacist "terrorist" org (to the extent that any group is--they plotted to bomb mosques and politicians). They're on every hate group watchlist. How did these guys not know this?
So can I use the "I can't control my fists" defense against any Nazis that want to march around me to stop em?
I listened to all the free episodes 3 times before I finally broke down and decided to pay these chumps 5 bucks. It's that good! And now that I'm here, as a paying member, I got nothing but complaints.
Cosplay Anon
i hate to hand it to ISIS, but, after practicing/engaging with movement law (and also just getting a legal education tbh), i wholeheartedly believe the ACLU took the correct stance. like, obviously, fuck this guy; nobody wants him to do his nazi LARPmarch—we’re all in agreement that he sucks and we don’t want to coexist with people like him. that being said, however; a ruling against guys like him prohibiting acts like his is 100% guaranteed to backfire (in addition to eroding 1A.) think of all the unlawful (AND lawful, unfortunately) suppression of pro-palestinian activism. any sort of hate speech laws or prohibition on speech as defined by being hurtful or hateful WILL be used (capriciously) to suppress future speech, and will extend beyond the confines of “don’t be a nazi.” we see this happening in real time with the perversion of the word “antisemitism” and the nebulous definition of “terrorism.” as soon as it becomes legal to suppress one form of political opinion, others are at risk. it sucks that nazis could be representative of the defense of 1A (as opposed to sympathetic plaintiffs like the tinker kids or mahmoud khalil, for example), but it’s a matter of principle. it’s the same reason why you’d have to defend 4A if a slimeball POS had their rights violated by police. legal ≠ moral. as much as we want laws to uphold morality, it is too dangerous to give governments the power of determining morality in order to punish immoral acts. by now, we’ve all seen them try, and we’ve (correctly) called it unconstitutional. if we let it become constitutional, we’re fucked.
now, that doesn’t mean skokie would have no possible course of legal action to deal with this tool. i’m certain you could make a robust argument for a variety of civil claims. without going beyond a quick superficial analysis, i’d be inclined to think you could put together a class action for IIED. deliberately triggering PTSD and probably causing all sorts of fallout (time off work, stress-related illness, medical expenses, etc) sounds like something you could get this guy in some serious hot water for. idk. you could get creative.
I think there's still plenty of funny esoteric Nazi stuff Jake can cover if he really wants to go back to that well eventually
The Nordstrom rack interlude was like a Tim Robinson sketch...
My intent is not pedantry, BUT, as a j-school grad (cute, right?) in the early aughts, this case was taught in Mass Comm Law (core class) as a foundational first amendment case law that set a precedent (when that mattered, so pre-dumpTrump) as settled case law. I think, but can’t say for sure, that this was intended to make it to the Supreme Court to achieve “common law” status (wrong terminology but you get it). If I remember correctly, they chose Skokie BECAUSE it had the highest population of Holocaust survivors. Yeah, once a sick fuck, always a sick fuck. I feel like there is a contemporary documentary of the event and it is vile. It’s heralded as protecting the absolute right to free speech even if we don’t like what they’re saying. That’s my 50 cents. The thing I’m worried about, as it relates to the Epstein Dimension from Event Horizon 2026: The Return of the Cannibals, is the documents that have been released that quote multiple instances of Epstein’s belief in Jewish supremacy, and sadly, involve many high-profile Jewish leaders discussing non-Jews and Jewish influence in world in a way that sounds straight out of the Nazi/Neo-Nazi playbook: Protocols of the Elders of Zion. I have zero interest in any one group’s claim to supremacy. That just makes you stupid and background noise to me BUT, fuck man, all that stuff coming out is just going to fuel a whole new generation of bigots. Like, we were so close to watching them all die off, and then… I’m concerned and wish someone with a voice (no one’s going to listen to me) would address that. If it’s true that there is a group that believes that and has proven “Spectre” level global reach, this should be known and the people should be allowed to make their case. People can believe whatever they want and say it—Skokie vs. nationalist uptight white dudes will back them up—but there needs to be a non YouTube discussion about it before it catches fire and takes off. It will justify their decades/centuries-long sick argument that Jews run the world blah, blah, blah. A serious journalist needs to get in front of that to protect all of us and the future. The more hate, the more lies, the more “I’m better than you” bullshit that is allowed to bloom and rot on social media is going to have a disproportionate effect on the younger generations who get their news from those sources. Dear fucking Christ on a cracker, do we need to keep the cycle alive? Can we not agree that any one group claiming supremacy over another is not conducive to a peaceful planet. If that’s how they feel, please fucking John Galt yourselves to some hidden Shangri-La and fucking stay there. One caveat, supreme is supreme so they all get to live together; they can argue among themselves, inbreed, and I’m sure we’ll get some great new music genres out of it à la Deliverance.
If it’s any comfort Nazis don’t need evidence to believe their conspiracy theories. Epstein proved all the people who believed in a rich cabal of paedophiles correct and they are either ignoring it or downplaying it because it doesn’t suit their narrative. My analogy is the woman into erotic alpha wolf fiction does not actually want her partner to bring a wolf into the bedroom. The fantasy of a powerful elite serves an important psychological salve to these people that the reality can’t ever match. Reality is complicated and messy while fantasy is clean and easy. Epstein forces the fantasists to engage with reality. Potential future nazis will have to ignore the Epstein files because they reveal the super secret conspiracy to be banal and ugly, evil but kind of low stakes.
I hate Illinois Nazis.
Jake! 👏👏👏
The ACLU’s whole theory on free speech and defending Nazis is wrong. When the state wants to crack down on the speech of leftists or radical Black and Indigenous groups they kill them, they discredit them, they bankrupt them and jail them. The legal precedent of letting Nazis march was never going to provide a bulwark for protecting the Panthers or AIM or any of the other groups being actively targeted in the 70s. Fun episode though. I hope that guy works out what Nazis are supposed to do in bunkers.
Was the ruling bullshit or the application of it biased? I lean toward the latter. It’s a sad, hypocritical, and full of shit world. The logic is clear; human nature is the problem.
Boots on the ground in my bunker isn’t a think
I still hate the ACLU for this. Defending a Nazi is indefensible, especially in a town full of elderly Holocaust Survivors. ACLU is just a perpetual fundraising machine like the DNC.
J Rocc is the name of a freaking awesome dj and member of The Beat Junkies.
Wait, was Mad Max Jewish? Does Mel Gibson know that?
Does he know Jesus was Jewish?
jake; check out rapper “j roc” from famous canadian tv show. trailer park boys
Thank you for enjoying Redfall Jake
Jake, this is a banger.
As a kid who grew up in a church that didn’t believe in Sunday school for kids and got the full-on adult crazy from infancy, I envied my friends who went to churches with Sunday school. They learned fun, sanitized versions of the stories with little felt guys on a board and sang children’s songs! I got to learn about murder and rape before I was even old enough for the sex talk from my parents. Oh, and night terrors, can’t forget those. Unfair. ☹️
Jesus! I loved VBS for the crafts—also, rote memorization paid off later—what unholy Marquis de Sade church were you dragged to?
Ayo Fuck Nazis they are scum
Christ maga Nazis are such fucking larpy dorks
Did anyone else hear Liv say Charlottesville was 2013 and both Jake and Logan went with it?
Idk who gives a shit
Jake please do John Mone radio play
Jake / I sent you a radio screen play 18 months ago and it was a masterclass in adopting your voice , you’re my only hope
Jake we need you to do this. We are your fans not people associated with John Mone.
Any episode that puts Jake front and centre is my favourite kind.
chiming in for the mormon thing: they believe that the contents of the Book of Mormon (their bible DLC) all take place in the americas, prior to columbus arriving, and that native americans are descendants of one specific lineage in the book of mormon, for deeply racist reasons (source: am ex-mormon and cursed with knowledge)
I learned why it was the women who wanted polygamy from an ex-Mormon recently. I’d never heard that perspective before. I was gobsmacked but I haven’t looked into it. The argument was that so many Mormon men were murdered during the flight West, the women had no one to protect them and they wanted to double park to alleviate the [INSERT Idk] of being an uncoupled Mormon woman. Is this really a thing?
My partner was a dev on Redfall so it was pretty fucking cool to hear it mentioned, and on our favorite podcast?! A lot of really talented people poured their hearts into that game and finding out that Jake loves it made us smile real big :D (Now I'm curious who he mains lol)
Okay, now we have an actual bet going on who Jake mains in Redfall.
Just to be clear, the JDL are straight up fascists as well, not Nazis but like literally fascists
30 minutes in and I forgot this episode was about Skokie 😭
I hate that I have to look this video up but I just need to see prosecute ice change to pro ice.
Wild timing—I was in Lincolnwood for a shiva over the weekend (RIP Norman!) and the ppl there were telling me all about this while we reminisced on our loved one’s life. A huge part of Chicagoland Jewish history.
Every time I hear Skokie I just think of The Usual Suspects where Verbal Kint says he used to play in a barbershop quartet in Skokie, IL and its lived in my brain like a virus since the first time I watched that film
Did you ever get so dehydrated that your piss came out like snot?
Sorry guys, 200 years ago some slaving landlords wrote some laws so we have to let Nazis parade around town. If we don’t we’re no better than those dirty reds!
Wait, are Nazi Pedophiles our traditional values??
If anyone wants to know the rest of the story. Their march was a shitshow. Listen here. https://pod.link/1684738593/episode/YzhhODlmOTItZTQ0Mi0xMWVkLTlmZDUtMTNmNjUzNzE4MjMz
Jake always dropping hints that he’s from my home area now essentially proving it
Jake Lang kicking down the sculpture is exactly like a Tim Heidecker character.
Meanwhile, a little contribution for QAnon News,- Mediterranean Edition: today right leaning Italian newspaper La Verità [The Truth, a trolling of Prava] titled "We are governed by pedophiles and satanits" - referring to the Epstein files. It's so true now the news are QA news, even in Italy. sigh
The doofus crusade guy sounds like if Frankie mcdonald was into sovereign citizen stuff instead of the weather.
Whoops all Nazis
liv agar
Jake Lang shops at Dan Flahses.
Dan Fascist
Jake’s brain is incredible. He probably knows all the fake science behind Ghostbusters tech but never realized the Nazi villain in Blues Brothers was a caricature of the Skokie incident (despite being pretty explicit). Every new episode pulls back a new layer of that weird onion. Thank you, for this gift.
Jake, will you be home for Purim?
You can't throw the baby out with the bathwater because then all you have is a wet, critically injured baby.
Jake Rock 🤘
Annie Kelly
I hate Illinois Nazis
I have to assume you didn’t know when quoting the JDL guy that JDL is a far right Jewish organisation thats is openly pro-genocide and committed acts of terrorism in the US? Classified as a hate group etc It’s mostly inactive as a group today if I’m not mistaken, but still popular among far right pro-Israel ppl
I think I'm right in saying it was a forerunner to the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson. The whole far right turn in the UK is a Russia/Israel op.
The people want spectral voyager season 2
Pete Buttplug? Isn't he the Secretary of Defense?
One of my favorite stories from undergrad (Communication/Psychology) as it touches on so many topics: 1st Amendment, rhetoric, perception & behavior. To a point raised by Liv (re: Internet): I've often wondered about that myself. That said, in 2026- I think we're experiencing this in real time... Great episode!
The Nuremberg trials didn't really work. Only a few people were prosecuted as scapegoats, most Nazis were left mostly untouched. I wish that people would stop bringing this up as an "ideal" of what should happen to ICE, as in Germany, all these trials did were to give the appearance that "we're over that now, that Nazi stuff is behind us"
Oh Jake…I was the art director for Redfall. It was, in fact, doomed. But the environments were kinda pretty right?…..right?
Environments are gorgeous-- I love exploring the town(s)
I'm loving all these Jake research episodes
listening from the greater Vancouver area and Liv is not wrong lol!
Drinking in a field sounds like an Abby or Langley pastime. I guess Surrey and Delta too.
Mandatory “I hate Illinois nazis”
No Julian again 😔
😞
Jake loves you!
Ploob!
Liv Agar