Group Criticized For Not Meeting With Militia Departing Member Of Montana Human Rights Network Wanted Meeting

The Montana Human Rights Network is drawing criticism from a departing board member over refusal to meet with the Militia of Montana.

Harold Gray said he sought a meeting of the board and militia members, but the network’s president, Ken Toole, was opposed.

“My gripe is, here’s a man who’s supposed to be heading up a human rights organization and he is unwilling to hear his adversaries out,” said Gray, whose two-year term on the board ended Saturday.

“He is not giving them the courtesy, human, Christian or otherwise … to speak and be heard before our board.”

“I think we’ve got to hear these people, too.”

Toole said he told Gray that “we typically do not meet with those types of folks on a matter of principle for a number of reasons.”

“We feel it’s very hard to have a discussion when one of the parties is not being forthcoming or truthful.”

Toole said the executive committee of the Human Rights Network also opposed meeting with the militia.

In a recent report, the network said the Militia of Montana’s origins stem from racist and anti-Semitic groups.

Militia leaders say that is not true.

Toole said he asked Gray, in a letter, to present the meeting request to the entire board, but Gray did not.

Gray said that he asked Toole to poll board members, and that Toole’s request was an attempt to make Gray explain his role in bringing the militia and the network together for a meeting.

“He told me what I should do is to write the board and explain to them why I was taking it upon myself to meet the militia and to explain myself as to why I was wanting this meeting,” Gray said.

“I told him I didn’t have to explain anything to anybody.”

Gray said he met one militia member last spring.

Later, that member asked Gray to meet with other militia members, and that led to a meeting with militia leader John Trochmann and his nephew, Randy Trochmann.

The Trochmanns asked Gray to see if the network would listen to them, Randy Trochmann said.

In June, Gray asked Toole about a meeting.

“We wanted to sit down and hash things out with Ken and the rest of the board members,” Randy Trochmann said. “To let them know that we’re not a bunch of wild-eyed crazies out in the woods.”

Toole suggested the militia expressed interest in a meeting so a refusal could be used to make the network look bad.