Here’s an idea on how to ensure neo-Nazis don’t get into HAPO Center ever again | Opinion

So it turns out a neo-Nazi group used the publicly owned HAPO Center for one of its “fight nights.”

Fortunately, the event was shut down early and without incident. But the idea that the Tri-Cities was seen by white supremacists as a good place to rally is horrifying.

While we’ve no doubt HAPO Center managers are keen to implement a better vetting process in the future, perhaps it’s time for a slightly different arrangement.

Currently, Franklin County has majority ownership of the event center and Pasco has minor ownership.

And that means Pasco officials have no management authority over the landmark facility located off Road 68 — right in the heart of the city’s booming west side.

Reputation is everything, and if something goes wrong at the HAPO Center, it’s Pasco that has the most to lose.

We are not suggesting Pasco take over for Franklin County — only that there should be a way for the city to be more involved in the goings-on at a building designed specifically to attract visitors to the area.

As it happens, the community is fortunate the neo-Nazi gathering on Dec. 3 didn’t get out of control.

But what if it had?

That’s the concerning question. And that’s why adding some extra oversight wouldn’t hurt.

Jeff Carvo, the owner of Tri-Cities startup Clubhouse Sports Academy, helped set up the event on behalf of HAPO Center managers, but he didn’t realize until too late that the boxing promoters he was dealing with were really involved in fascist fight clubs.

Carvo has a contract with the HAPO Center to sublease the indoor arena for sports competitions and practice time. In return, he gets to keep the rental fees.

Initially, he was under the impression the group wanted to use the space for martial arts-type events. But on the night of their gathering, he came to realize he had been deceived and rightly forced everyone out.

The lyrics in the music, the kids with shaved heads, and the “No Guilt” banner tipped him off that the “sporting event” was in reality a neo-Nazis bash.

As it turns out, the evening was touted as a “Martyrs Day Rumble” to commemorate the death of Robert Jay Mathews, a white nationalist from the Pacific Northwest who died Dec. 8 in a shootout with federal agents on Whidbey Island.

The gathering was organized by the Evergreen Active Club and the SoCal Active Club. The organizations combine fitness with neo-Nazi ideology and have duped other gyms into letting them use their facilities.

Carvo told the Herald that a gym in San Diego was recently targeted in a similar manner.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, members of these fascist fight clubs consider themselves vigilante soldiers guarding against a perceived threat to their “white future.”

Shirley Simmons, who co-owns Simmons Venue Management, took over managing the HAPO Center for Franklin County after several previous managers resigned.

She called it an isolated incident that would not happen again. “We would never do business or promote or condone this sort of behavior,” she said.

And while it’s understandable Carvo and Simmons never dreamed something like this would happen, now that it has, it will certainly force them and other venue managers in the Tri-Cities to be more cautious about who is using their facilities.

In fact, Carvo said he is only going to work with youth programs from now on and he is donating the $500 rental fee he received to charity.

By design, public facilities are meant to serve the public for a variety of uses, and aren’t necessarily intended to be profit centers. The hope is that the economic impact of such public facilities will be appreciated by the surrounding community, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses.

A neo-Nazi gathering could do just the opposite — repelling visitors instead of attracting them. That’s why we think it would be in Pasco’s best interest to be more involved in the vetting process.

Surely, there’s some amicable way that can be arranged.

This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 10:34 AM.