Anthony “Scotty” Bennett Sentenced to 50 Years for Killing Nazi in Self-Defense

Anthony “Scotty” Bennett, a young queer father, was sentenced on Wednesday to 50 years in prison for shooting a Nazi named Brian Keith Turner in self-defense in Azle, Texas on July 31, 2022. Turner was a known member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison gang.

Bennett fired in self-defense because Turner had followed him, called him anti-gay slurs and threatened him.

Prosecutors based their case on the claim that Bennett “identified as Antifa,” claiming that he deliberately targeted Turner for his Aryan Brotherhood membership.

Bennett’s family has created a fundraiser to raise money for an appellate attorney to appeal the conviction.

From the fundraiser:

“Justice for Scotty: Fighting Consequences of Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate, Prosecutorial Overreach & Political Bias.

Our family is fighting a grave injustice.

Anthony “Scotty” Bennett, a loving dad with no criminal record, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after what we believe was a politically motivated prosecution that twisted self-defense into premeditated m*rder. We are raising funds for appellate representation to challenge this conviction and sentence, which we believe were built on weak evidence and alleged prosecutorial misconduct.

We believe the 50-year sentence is disproportionately harsh for someone with no criminal record who claimed self-defense against a known extremist gang member. Weeks before, an individual in Tarrant County was sentenced to 17 years for the premeditated shooting of a 15 year old boy in his family’s doorway. The sho*ter then boasted about it online right after. How did he receive less time!? 

This trial occurred during an unprecedented wave of political violence and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

The conviction came within a week of a high-profile political assassination, creating a climate where any criticism of right-wing extremism was viewed with suspicion.

The jury was selected just days after this politically charged event. We would like to know if he had any queer peers on that jury! The jury was coerced by the prosecution to make an example out of Scotty and to give him the 50 year sentence.

September 2025

Together, we can challenge this wrongful conviction and bring Scotty home.

Regular updates will be posted. All funds managed through dedicated legal defense account with full transparency.

The views expressed reflect our understanding of the case and our belief in Scotty’s innocence. All allegations of misconduct are based on our interpretation of the evidence and court proceedings.

#JusticeForScotty #SelfDefenseRights

#WrongfulConviction #LGBTQRights #StopPoliticalPersecution

::What we need::

The Appellate Attorney could cost us $20,000-$30,000 

• What We Need: Experienced Appellate Representation

• Anthony’s case requires expert legal representation specializing in:

• Prosecutorial misconduct appeals

• Self-defense legal strategies

• Political bias in jury selection

• Evidence suppression challenges

• Wrongful conviction advocacy

Scotty is devastated that he could be separated from his family, community and daughter for over 25 years while fighting these charges.

About Scotty: More Than the Media Narrative

Scotty is a devoted father whose young daughter asks every day when he’s coming home. Before this incident, he had no criminal record and worked hard to support his family. His interest in studying extremist groups came from a genuine desire to understand and prevent radicalization—not to harm anyone.

Our family has suffered tremendously. After Scotty’s arrest, their home was shot up by unknown assailants, forcing them to permanently flee for their safety. Due to ongoing threats from extremist groups connected to this case, they cannot return home.

Our family has had to live in hiding for over three years while fighting these charges.

​These type of gangs are known for retaliation. We had to have security detail throughout the court proceedings.

Scotty was on a ankle monitor for 3 years while waiting on this trial. He went to every single appointment and had zero infractions during the ENTIRE time.

From Our Family: A Fight for Justice

This case isn’t just about Scotty—it’s about all of us. In an era of rising political violence and anti-LGBTQ+ hatred, we cannot allow the justice system to be weaponized against those who stand up to extremism. 

A well known Tarrant County ​Newspaper over the last few years have slandered him, accusing him of being ​a outlaw motorcycle gang member, a hitman, part of ANTIFA. Of which NONE of that is a fact. 

Scotty’s daughter needs her father home. Your support helps us fight prosecutorial overreach and ensures that defending yourself against hate-motivated violence isn’t criminalized.

Every contribution matters. Whether $5 or $500, you’re helping fight an injustice that could affect any of us in today’s political climate.

Alleged Prosecutorial Misconduct & Weak Evidence

1. Timing & Alleged Political Bias This trial occurred during an unprecedented wave of political violence and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. The jury selection came two days after a high-profile political assassination, and the verdict just one week afterward. The politicization of that m*rder and use of it as a fealty test created a climate where any criticism of right-wing extremism was viewed with heightened suspicion.

2. Circumstantial “Evidence” Presented as Fact – Anthony had long studied hate groups wanting to understand and prevent extremism—the prosecution twisted this into “targeting.” Having downloaded materials about activism was presented as evidence of violent intent. He had a varied array of books, although the prosecution only focused on a few to demonize Scotty.

3. Missing & Allegedly Misrepresented Evidence- The prosecution failed to show video evidence in its entirety –

Missing evidence: Claims the assailant was photographing Scotty’s license plate, but no phone or photos were produced –

Self-defense context ignored: The context of being pursued by a potentially armed extremist was minimized –

Alleged investigative bias:

One detective reportedly claimed not to know that the white supremacist organization the assailant belonged to existed, despite it being one of the largest and most documented extremist groups in the country, featured in countless films, TV shows, news reports, and law enforcement databases.

That same officer was the one that told Scott to move his family somewhere else for a while for their safety because the individual was a dangerous gang member.

4. Post-Incident Behavior Allegedly Mischaracterized Scotty’s actions after the shooting—hiding the gun and removing stickers—were presented as “consciousness of guilt.” In reality, Scotty was terrified of retaliation from that extremist group and panicked. He didn’t even know he had hit anyone, let alone ki*led them. His fears appear to have been justified when their home was shot up after his arrest, forcing his family to flee permanently.

The Questionable Theory of “Instant Premeditation”-

The prosecution’s claim of “instantly premeditated” murder appears legally contradictory. In our understanding, you cannot have both instantaneous decision-making and premeditation. We believe this prosecution theory defies legal logic and suggests the case was built to fit a predetermined narrative rather than established facts.

We believe the 50-year sentence is disproportionately harsh for someone with no criminal record who claimed self-defense against a known violent extremist.

THIS WAS ALWAYS A CASE OF SELF DEFENSE!”

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=21712

#AnthonyScottyBennett #antifascism #armedSelfDefense #JusticeForScotty #LGBTQRights #northAmerica #repression #SelfDefenseRights #StopPoliticalPersecution #texas #WrongfulConviction

The Power of Black Self-Defense in Lincoln Heights

When Nazis appear in public they must be quickly dispatched. The people of a Black town in Ohio did just that and then acted to arm and defend themselves.

While there are endless think pieces written on the phenomenon of Donald Trump’s second ascendancy to the white house, working class Black people in a town near Cincinnati, Ohio took matters into their own hands and faced down a group of white supremacists. On February 7, 2025, a group of white men waving flags adorned with swastikas hung a banner from an interstate overpass between the towns of Evendale and Lincoln Heights which proclaimed, “America for the White Man.”

It must be pointed out that the statement, while quite racist, is an accurate description of United States history and politics. Trump’s promise to Make America Great Again is just the most recent expression of the historical imperative to keep white men in a position of privilege and authority in this country.

The neo-Nazi group were unmolested by the local police. In the words of the police chief, they had done “nothing unlawful.” That statement may technically be true but Black people cannot be casual about the swastika symbol being freely displayed by people who say that the white supremacist order should be maintained.

Ohio is a state with a significant Black population, mostly residing in and near its large cities. Ohio was decidedly in the republicans’ camp until those Black voters who had previously been disaffected came out in support of Barack Obama in huge numbers in 2008 and 2012. But as astute observers predicted, much of that cohort disappeared when Obama’s name was no longer on the ballot. In 2016, 2020, and 2024, Ohio went back into the red state category for Donald Trump.

The state is located in what is known as the “rust belt,” the region that thrived as an industrial hub for decades until the dictates of finance capital turned the midwest into a deindustrialized state of decline. Ohio continues to lose population and the congressional seats that are determined by census results. The Black people who remain there struggle to live in an eviscerated economy, and are surrounded by conservative white people and conservative political representation. Vice President J.D. Vance was an Ohio senator before he became Trump’s running mate.

But the people of Lincoln Heights did not ask for anyone’s permission to defend themselves. The neo-Nazis were quickly dispatched by a larger group of mostly Black protesters who burned their swastika decorated flags after they ran into the back of a U-Haul truck and fled the scene with a police escort. 

Ohio is both an open carry and concealed carry state, meaning that firearms may be carried openly or be kept hidden. After the white supremacists fled, the Lincoln Heights residents mobilized into the well organized militia described in the second amendment to the constitution. They organized themselves into patrols and walked the streets armed as the laws of their state allow them to do.

Black people in a small city showed the rest of the country the importance of organizing. They acted fearlessly in the face of open racism. They didn’t consult with elected officials or public intellectuals. They knew they were in danger if they didn’t act of their volition. In all likelihood the neo-Nazis won’t make any more public displays of themselves in Lincoln Heights for a long time.

The history of Lincoln Heights provides clues to why the people there rose up to defend themselves. It was the first Black-led incorporated city above the Mason-Dixon line. But nearby white suburbs literally stole land that was to have been included in Lincoln Heights and the town’s boundaries did not include local industries that employed its residents. Over time, the inability to form a tax base combined with deindustrialization made Lincoln Heights a shell of its former self. The population dropped 45% between 1970 and 2013.

Trump is viewed as the ultimate nightmare for Black people in the U.S. He has won two presidential elections in large part because he speaks directly to the impulses of racist whites. Both of his elections created great angst among Black people, whose proud history of political action has been whittled down to voting and not behaving like Obama’s imaginary cousin Pookie who refuses to get off of a couch and get to a polling place.

Even in Lincoln Heights, there are forces who wish to turn a teachable moment about self-defense into an opportunity for kumbaya and weak virtue signaling. While some residents patrolled the street with firearms, others attempted to supplant self-defense with prayer and a march . It was appropriate that residents demanded answers from local police and elected officials but the sight of armed Black people did much more to prevent Nazis from gaining any legitimacy than pleas for peace and love.

The people who are usually considered leaders are rarely of any help to Black people in distress. Congressional Black Caucus Member and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is a case in point. While Donald Trump violates the constitution with executive orders announcing powers he does not have, Jeffries is flummoxed as to what the leader of an opposition party ought to do. “I’m trying to figure out what leverage we actually have. What leverage do we have? They control the House and Senate and the presidency. It’s their government. What leverage do we have?” The self-own would be funny if it were not so serious. Whether he realized it or not, Jeffries admitted that democrats were ready to cut deals with Trump but now that Trump has cut them out of decision making they have no idea what to do. As for the government belonging to republicans, it is generally believed that it belongs to the people.

For months we were told that Trump was an existential threat, a dictator, and a Hitler incarnate. But now that he is in office again, actual Hitler loving Nazis parade through U.S. cities with impunity and Black leaders who whine about not having leverage are certainly of no help to people facing self-proclaimed fascists.

Let us all give a shout out to the people of Lincoln Heights, Ohio. The open carry and stand your ground laws weren’t meant to be for their benefit, but they acted upon them anyway.

Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents . You can support her work on Patreon and also find it on the Twitter , Bluesky , and Telegram platforms. She can be reached via email at [email protected]

source: Black Agenda Report

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=16874

#antiFascism #armedSelfDefense #blackLiberation #fascism #lincolnHeights #northAmerica #us

Happy to share audio of #CharlesECobbJr, formerly in #SNCC, sharing on rural #CivilRightsMovement work in the rural U.S. #South in the 60's and the role of #armedSelfDefense against White reaction. Plus, a Q&A w the audience.

https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2018/07/15/charles-e-cobb-jr-on-this-non-violence-stuffll-get-you-killed/

https://chaos.social/media/-P5kfxcX754vo47_shs

#history #racism #usa

Everyone follow @lajbgc

I know guns are divisive but people need to defend themselves. Disarm the Cops First!

#DisarmCops #ArmedSelfDefense