Commissioner accused of having white nationalist ties sworn into Enid City Commission
ENID, Okla. (KFOR) - Dozens of outraged Enid residents gathered both inside and outside of Monday night’s city commission meeting to demonstrate against the swearing in of a member accused of having ties to a white nationalist group.
“It's abhorrent. It's inexcusable. Of course, as a priest, I pray for him,” said Reverend James Neal of Holy Cross Enid.
Judd Blevins was elected to the Ward 1 seat on Enid’s City Commission on Feb. 14 of this year. He was officially sworn into the position on Monday night.
The protest of more than 50 community members at the City Administration Building was sparked by Blevins’ alleged involvement with a now disbanded white nationalist hate group called “Identity Evropa.”
A 2019 article written by a media outlet called Right Wing Watch accuses Blevins of working as Oklahoma’s state coordinator for the group.
“It was reported on several years ago, and then it really came back up when he ran for election here in Ward 1 for the City of Enid,” said Neal.
“Identity Evropa is the original name of an organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has recognized as a white nationalist hate group,” said the 2019 article. “The Anti-Defamation League describes the organization as “a white supremacist group focused on the preservation of ‘white American culture’ and promoting white European identity.’”
The group was established in 2016, renamed as the American Identity Movement in 2019 and ultimately disbanded in 2020.
Partly based on leaked chat logs, the outlet claims Blevins had a “central role” in the group’s organizing. It adds that Blevins allegedly took part in hanging an Identity Evropa banner over an Oklahoma Highway.
According to Right Wing Watch, on an episode of the group’s podcast that has since been deleted from podcast platforms, Blevins was quoted saying, “You will not erase us, you will not replace us,’ — we have to have that attitude.”
The article also shows photos of a man who it says is Blevins taking part in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he allegedly flew Oklahoma’s state flag.
KFOR talked with Blevins after the meeting.
“I understand that you’re never going to please everyone… I’m going to do my best to do my job to the best of my ability and frankly focus on the issues that got me elected,” said Blevins. “As far as the people outside, ultimately, they’re here because an election did not go their way and that's fine. They can be unhappy about that, but I'm not going to let that distract me from getting to work.”
When KFOR tried to ask Blevins if the claims about him having ties to a white nationalist group were true, he cut us off and walked away.
“That’s all I have to say about that,” said Blevens.
According to a spokesman for the city, council commissioner terms last four years. Therefore, Blevins will hold his seat until 2027.