COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – A group of alternative right activists gathered in Coeur d’Alene Saturday for a “756 Dark” rally in McEuen Park.
The event, billed as an “anti-human trafficking event,” was co-organized by Caleb Altmeyer, the founder of Helping Captives, an organization with informal ties to the Arizona anti-government outfit Veterans on Patrol according to The Inlander.
While Altmeyer has interacted with Veterans on Patrol members, he told The Inlander that there is no official partnership between his organization and the Arizona group.
Helping Captives in February when it purchased Deja Vu, a former adult club in the Spokane Valley. During a “men’s revival and stage smashing,” a group of men destroyed the stage at the event.
While Altmeyer said the event was meant to combat human trafficking, former club performers criticized the event in interviews with The Spokesman Review.
“The stage smashing itself is so disingenuous. To say we’re turning this place of exploitation into a place of God is not right when we were all there consensually,” one dancer told the Review.
Helping Captives could not be reached for an interview Saturday evening.
Individuals wearing heavy vests and carrying weapons could be seen walking around the park Saturday night. According to the event’s website, the rally is meant to evoke law enforcement while supporting victims of human trafficking.
“Experience a powerful 75.6 minute ruck around McEuen Park together in unity (think S.W.A.T. TEAM vibes) under the CDA night sky,” the event flyer said.
In addition to connections with alt-right groups, the event also shares ties with notable media personalities. Co-organizer Nate Lewis is a director who hosts a podcast called “The War on Innocence.”
Several anti-government groups have been active in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane in the past several years, including American Patriots Three Percent, which is classified as an anti-government extremist group by the anti-defamation league, which is classified as a white supremacist group.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 25 hate and anti-government groups were active in Idaho in 2023, with the majority of their activity clustered in Coeur d’Alene and Boise.
