Reported by One People’s Project:
PHILADELPHIA, PA—Two reputed members of Aryan Nations remain in jail today following their arrests stemming from the maiming of a reputed member of the Aryan Terror Brigade and associate of Keystone State “Skinheads” that left him blinded with his eyes literally ripped from his skull.
Stephen Masten, 29, and Frank Casiano, 28, appeared in court June 12 for a preliminary hearing on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault burglary and others. They were arrested May 22, just over two weeks after the brutal assault of David Phillips, 43 during a home invasion.
According to police reports, Phillips was home at 5928 Shisler St. when two men he identified as his “Aryan brothers” kicked his front door down and attacked him with sticks and blackjacks in his bedroom. The report notes Casiano reportedly telling Phillips “We’re gonna take all your shit and your CDs” and both suspects reportedly telling him they were going to kill him, to which he replied, “No, you’re dead!”
During the assault, Phillips told police that Masten gouged his eyes out and was later able to rip them from their sockets. He heard Masten tell Casiano, “His eyeballs popped out, I killed that bastard!” Before he passed out, Phillips heard Casiano say, “Good, kill him good!” When he woke the pair were gone and he felt his way around to a neighbor who contacted police. He was later transported to Wills Eye Hospital in downtown Philadelphia. Phillips is now blind and was stabbed in the head and face several times.
| Keystone State “Skinheads” associate Joe Phy, left, with Phillips. This picture was taken before the assault. |
According to the report, Phillips told police that Masten was angry that Phillips tried to take his girlfriend to a neo-Nazi event while he was in jail for theft. He was released on parole just two weeks before the assault. A person police identified as “Witness #1” said that both Masten and Casiano, who also goes by the name “Frank Cassidy”, are members of Aryan Nations, but there are several factions using the Aryan Nations name and it is not known which one they may belong to. Phillips was identified as a member of Aryan Terror Brigade (ATB), who’s leader Josh Steever is best known for marrying the niece of the late actor Patrick Swayze. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Steever is soliciting financial support for Phillips on the ATB forums. Phillips is also close to the Keystone State “Skinheads” (KSS), particularly with longtime member Joey Phy, who served a year of house arrest in 2009 for assaulting a neighbor and former friend who asked him to turn his stereo down. In addition to Masten, both Phillips and Casiano have lengthy criminal records.
Masten is being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia while Casiano is held at Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center in lieu of $3 million and $1 million bail respectively. Their next preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 10 at the Criminal Justice Center on Filbert St. in Philadelphia.
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While KSS is far from the presence they had in Philly as little as 5 years ago, they are still cause for serious concern for Antifascists. So this comes as welcome news.
Of course boneheads maiming and killing each-other is no new phenomenon. Drunken acts of violence, rumors (true or false) of police informants in their midst, and “love” triangles are some common causes.
Let this be a cautionary tale to you young boneheads who think you have found a sense of community or “brotherhood” among your fellow racists and fascists. You’ll get no pity from us in the streets, and you’ll find no safety among your supposed “white brothers.”
Drop the shit. Grow up.
You have been warned.
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Philly Antifa