NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's an image that again shows hate rearing its ugly head in Middle Tennessee: a neo-Nazi standing in the lobby of Nashville’s Jewish Community Center while wearing a costume that mocks an Orthodox rabbi.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates first broke the story about the neo-Nazi arrested for harassing people at the Gordon Jewish Community Center Monday night. Travis Keith Garland, 31, of Blount County was charged with criminal trespassing and assault.
Our investigation discovered that Garland is affiliated with the neo-Nazi Goyim Defense League, the same group that spent a couple of weeks creating scenes on the streets of Nashville last summer.
Now, in the group’s internal chats on the Telegram messaging app, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered new videos and social media posts from that suspect, revealing more about his plans and his reaction to being forced off the Jewish Community Center property at gunpoint by a security guard.
“I wore the rabbi costume and went into their jew building harassing them … and the dude freaked out,” said a person who uses the handle “kitchenwaffen.”
Police say Travis Garland is kitchenwaffen.
In another post, the account referred to the guard with an ethnic slur for Asian people.
“He was a (expletive) defending the jews,” kitchenwaffen posted. “I stormed their temple and [he] almost shot me.”
After being arrested in Blount County, Garland was returned to Nashville Thursday night to face those charges. Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk personally appeared before the magistrate to argue for a high bond to ensure that Garland returned to court.
The magistrate set the bond at $250,000.
"He attempted to enter the Gordon Jewish Community Center,” Funk told the magistrate as Garland listened in from a closed-circuit video connection.
The DA continued, “He ignored the directions from the front desk folks, tried to get into a secure area, had to be physically stopped."
Funk pointed to Garland’s kitchenwaffen profile on Telegram that describes himself as “cooking jews and feeding them to n****rs.”
“For all those reasons, we are concerned for public safety," Funk added. “We are also concerned whether or not the person would ever come back to court.”
NewsChannel 5 Investigates also discovered video on a streaming app affiliated with the Goyim Defense League in which Garland and a female co-host engage in online chats with random strangers in which they openly ridicule African Americans, Jews and other ethnic groups that they hate.
A separate video posted in the group’s Telegram chat earlier this month showed “kitchenwaffen” in the rabbi costume at the Nashville Holocaust Memorial, mocking the slaughter of six million Jews.
“We’re here at the memorial for all the Holocaust survivors or victims – if they're even real,” he said in an exaggerated New York accent.
A caption promised: “kitchenwaffen is going to pull a pretty funny stunt in the coming days."
When Garland went to the Jewish Community Center trying to make a scene this past Monday, he was livestreaming back to the group as he was escorted from the property by the armed security guard.
"Just stop, OK, I'm leaving,” the suspect called out.
One of the people on the livestream asked, "Is his gun out?"
"Yeah, he's going to shoot me. He's going to shoot me. I'm recording,” kitchenwaffen replied.
Police say the guard feared for his life and decided to force Garland off the property until officers arrived — instead of allowing him to return to his car.
"I'm so stressed now,” a woman said.
"Why would you shoot me?" Garland called out to the guard, who shouted back: “Move!"
"Get in the car, goddamn it," a male viewer shouted.
The suspect responded, "I can't. He told me I can't get in the car. He's going to shoot me."
According to public records, Garland was convicted on aggravated assault charges in Blount County in 2012.
Three years later, he pleaded guilty to a deadly hit-and-run that resulted in the death of an elderly man in a wheelchair. He later pleaded guilty to federal charges for being a felon in possession of a gun.
Garland is the third member of the Goyim Defense League to be arrested here in the last six months.
Ryan Scott McCann, a neo-Nazi from Canada, was arrested on assault charges back in July as a result of a skirmish between GDL members and a downtown bartender. McCann was caught on video jabbing the bartender with the flagpole of the swastika flag he was carrying.
In September, Texas member David Aaron Bloyed was arrested on federal charges for making an online threat to kill DA Glenn Funk.
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Do you have information that would help me with my investigation? Send me your tips: phil.williams@newschannel5.com
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