The Southern Poverty Law Center, which researches hate groups around the country, is identifying the man seen in this photo as the white supremacist police have accused of Sunday’s mass shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek:
Wade Michael Page, 40, Cudahy, was reportedly the lead singer of the rock band End Apathy. In a 2010 interview with the music blog Uprise Direct, Page says the band formed in 2005 and was “based on trying to figure out what it would take to actually accomplish positive results in society and what is holding us back. A lot of what I realized at the time was that if we could figure out how to end people’s apathetic ways, it would be the start towards moving forward.” Page goes on to say we live in a “sick society” and must rely on “strict discipline to stay the course.” The music, Page says, was based on “80s punk, metal and Oi.”
Page also describes some of his personal background: He says he was from Colorado, originally, and decided in 2000 to “get involved and wanted to basically start over. So I sold everything I owned except for my motorcycle and what I could fit into a backpack and went on [a] cross country trip visiting friends and attending festivals and shows.”
Page, who was killed on Sunday by an Oak Creek police officer, served in the U.S. Army from 1992 to 1998, according to U.S. Attorney James Santelle, and was assigned to the “Psychological Operations” division, a.k.a. “PsyOps.” According to a recent Army job posting, “the psychological operations specialist is primarily responsible for the analysis, development and distribution of intelligence used for information and psychological effect.”
