Heath Hitler
Heath Hitler | |
---|---|
Born | Isidore Heath Campbell 1973 (age 50–51) |
Other names | Nazi dad |
Known for | Naming his son "Adolf Hitler Campbell" |
Political party | Hitler's Order |
Isidore Heath Hitler (born 1973), formerly Isidore Heath Campbell,[1] sometimes called "Nazi dad" is a white supremacist and self-described Nazi[2] who attracted national media attention in December 2008 after the Greenwich Township, New Jersey, ShopRite refused to make a cake celebrating his son Adolf Hitler Campbell's third birthday.[3] A Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Wal-Mart later baked and inscribed the cake.[4] Campbell was featured in a documentary, Meet the Hitlers.[5] He is also founder and leader of the pro-Nazi group Hitler's Order.
Heath Hitler resides in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.[6][3]
Child naming controversy
Rachel Maddow opined that it was ironic Wal-Mart would bake a cake reading "Happy birthday Adolf Hitler" but would not sell Dixie Chicks albums because of the profane lyrics.[7] Deborah Campbell pointed out that the name "Adolf" is in the baby names book as "noble wolf".[8] Forensic psychologist N.G. Berill claimed, "To strap a kid with that kind of name is incredibly abusive and short-sighted."[9] Similar sentiments were expressed by one of the commentators on The David Pakman Show.[10]
Campbell said, "This is America. They say it's free. You have a right to name your child what you want to name your child, no matter what. It shouldn't have a meaning to it. A name's a name."[11] Campbell claims, "Nobody has a problem with my son's name, at all. At all. They know his full name. The kids, he plays soccer, he plays all that. And that, that's what I'm saying. Nobody bothers him."[12] Deborah Campbell later announced an intention to rename her son Antonio Campbell.[13]
Appearance and habits
Campbell has several Nazi-related tattoos and a toothbrush mustache. When he was younger he used to sport long brown hair, but as of now he keeps it in a short trimmed undercut hairstyle, typical of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The swastika tattoo on his neck was criticized in The Young Turks as poorly drawn by the tattoo artist. However, the show concluded by a 2–1 vote that Campbell's children should be returned to him, with Cenk Uygur arguing, "You should be allowed to be a Nazi, neo-Nazi, any kind of thing, according to the First Amendment. Now if we say, 'Hey, you're allowed to do that, but we're gonna take your kids away,' I would argue that that's a very interesting First Amendment case, at the very least."[14] When questioned about his tattoos, Campbell pointed out that he also has a yin yang tattoo and that the Nazis were not the only ones to use swastikas as a symbol.[15]
Campbell began wearing a Nazi uniform in June 2012, when he founded the Hitler's Order.[16] Campbell's landlord described the family as clean and non-destructive.[17]
Relationships and children
Hitler had nine children with five women. One of his wives was Cathy Bowlby, who claimed Campbell beat her repeatedly and wanted to name his first-born son Lucifer until she convinced him to name him Heath.[18]
His third wife was Deborah Campbell (birth name Deborah Lynn McCollum). According to a birth certificate, Adolf Hitler Campbell was born to them at 6:20 am on December 14, 2005 at Raritan Township. Their other children are JoyceLynn Aryan Nation, Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie, and Heinrich Hons. The latter was taken by Child Protective Services from them hours after being born.[19]
He also had a child, Eva Lynn Patricia Braun, with girlfriend Bethanie Rose Zito (sometimes known as Bethanie White), who later became his fiancée when she was 22 years old. Campbell and Zito both went to a custody hearing wearing Nazi regalia.
Based on anonymous reports of violence, all of his children have been taken away by New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services and put in foster care.[20] However, he has said that he will continue having kids as long as the government keeps taking them away. According to a lehighvalleylive article:[21]
Zito, Deborah Campbell and Heath Campbell share a home in Holland Township, said Heath Campbell, who made international headlines in 2008 upon revelations that he named his children after Nazi figures.
Heath Campbell said he is not divorced from Deborah Campbell and lives with her and his girlfriend.
"They're like sisters," he said today. "They fight. Make up. Fight. Make up. That's how things go. It's a family thing." . . . .
Heath Campbell said he was not involved in Monday's dispute and didn't know what it was about.
"They both got in a spat. They were arguing. I left the house," he said. "Deborah went her own way."
As of June 2012, Campbell and Deborah were separated.[22] An ABC News article says:[23]
A neighbor turned over a handwritten note signed by Deborah Campbell, who dropped out of the 10th grade, that accused her husband of trying to kill her and expressed fear for her children's safety. The note, replete with spelling errors, said, "He thrend to have me killed or kill me himself hes alread tried it a few times. I'm scare to leave b/c I will be killed. I'm afread that he might hurt my children if they are keeptd in his care. He's already stabbed me with a screwdriver in the hand. He teaches my son how to kill someone at the age of 3." Asked about the letter during court custody proceedings, Deborah Campbell admitted that she wrote it but testified it was all a lie. She described her husband as "a perfect guy."
According to that article, "One of his ex-wives has a restraining order against him and has 'moved to an Air Force base with family in Florida to be away and safe from him, court papers said.
Legal problems
At a June 3, 2013, court hearing, Campbell showed up in a Nazi uniform and said, "If they're good judges and they're good people, they'll look within, not what's on the outside."[24]
Campbell was arrested on March 10, 2016, in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.[25] He was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 cash bond.[26] He pleaded guilty in Superior Court to obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.[20] He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and two years of probation. The charges stemmed from a report of domestic violence by Zito which she later recanted.
Specifically, Zito said her injuries weren't inflicted by Campbell as she originally claimed. Rather, she said, he left after an argument and she was mad at him so she went to work in a shed. While in there she was throwing things around, and a shelf held up by a few nails fell on her, cutting her face, Zito said.[27] She said this was in retaliation for his leaving her for another woman.[28] Another account Zito gave was that she collided with Deborah: "Technically, when she hit me, it was my fault. I'm the one who slipped downstairs into her elbow. We were both on the stairs."[21]
Prosecutors proceeded without Zito's cooperation and charged him with aggravated assault. He was extradited to New Jersey after having been on the list of most-wanted fugitives.[29] Although earlier news stories said that Campbell could not read, in August 2016, Campbell claimed to have written Mein Kampf III and IV while in jail and announced an intention to publish the new volumes after he finished working on them.[30] In February 2017, on Valentine's Day, Campbell filed to high court to legally change his last name to Hitler. A hearing was held on March 24, and his name change was approved on May 8.[3][31]
References
- ^ "Hunterdon Nazi dad gets legal approval for name change to Hitler". Mycentraljersey.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ ""A person makes a person, a name doesn't"". NewsComAu. April 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c Nick Muscavage (May 9, 2017). "Hitler's name change became effective on VE Day". USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
- ^ "3-year-old Hitler can't get name on cake – US news – Weird news | NBC News". Nbcnews.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Adolf Hitler's Nazi dad Heath Campbell in new film 'Meet the Hitlers'". News.com.au. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Goldman, Jeff. NJ.com, May 10, 2017, "Notorious 'Nazi dad' now officially named Hitler, report says". Accessed January 31, 2018.
- ^ Springer, Jason (December 17, 2008). "Countdown # 1 Story: Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler Cake". YouTube.
- ^ Dawson, Shaun (January 19, 2009). "Adolf Hitler & Sisters Taken from Parents". YouTube.
- ^ Channel Ten (August 11, 2010). "Parents Lose Custody of Adolf Hitler". YouTube.
- ^ David Pakman Show (June 4, 2013). "This is What Happens When You Wear a Nazi Uniform in Court". YouTube.
- ^ taraisastar (January 15, 2009). "Naming kids Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nation?". YouTube.
- ^ nsotd5 (November 22, 2011). "New Jersey USA takes custody of a child named Adolf Hitler from the Campbell family". YouTube.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Specifically, in the documentary Meet the Hitlers, Deborah Campbell says, "Guess like the old saying is, Love is blind. Going around, talking about "Nazi this, Nazi that" is just not me. It's not an environment for my children, either. And I'm doing a lot more, getting my GED, getting a job, doing everything I have to do now. I think you should be able to name your kid what you want. But you also have to look at it that there's consequences to it, also. "At the tattoo parlor, giving instructions Covering up the name, the swa here. Yeah. The swa on this one, and that To Heath. I got sick and tired of everything that was going on and being the only one trying to better my life and do something. It's not worth standing by somebody who's not gonna change. With my children, there's a very good chance of getting them back, and that's what my main concern is, to become the best parent I can. When I get my son back, his name will be changed back to Antonio Campbell, which is his original name."
- ^ Young Turks, The (June 5, 2013). "Dad of 'Hitler' Kid Wears Nazi Uniform to Custody Hearing". YouTube.
- ^ Associated Press (August 6, 2010). "N.J. Court: Nazi-naming Parents Can't Get Kids". YouTube.
- ^ "Nazi-Naming Dad Fights for Right to See His Son | NBC 10 Philadelphia". Nbcphiladelphia.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Heath Campbell Is A White Supremacist, But Is He A Bad Parent?". Jezebel.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "White Supremacist Who Named His Son “Adolf Hitler” Proposes To His Girlfriend in Full Nazi Outfit | MrConservative.com |". Mrconservative.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Heath Campbell, Nazi Father Of Child Named Adolf Hitler, Fights For Custody Of Heinrich Hons".
- ^ a b TEGNA. "Self-identified Nazi pleads guilty to resisting arrest | WCSH6.com". Wcsh6.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ a b "Nazi dad's wife wanted on aggravated assault warrant, police say". Lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ "Parents of Adolf Hitler Campbell lose custody battle for children". Digitaljournal.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "New Jersey Couple Loses Custody of Son Named Adolf Hitler, Children with Nazi-Inspired Names – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Father shows up to family court hearing wearing Nazi uniform | NJ.com". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "'Nazi dad' was in Shippensburg to get tattoo when arrested, chief says | PennLive.com". Pennlive.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "'Meet the Hitlers' documentary examines Hunterdon Nazi's upturned life | lehighvalleylive.com". Lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Fiancee wants charges dropped against N.J. 'Nazi dad' | NJ.com". Nj.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Chasing News (December 28, 2015). "A Very Nazi Christmas". YouTube.
- ^ "'Nazi Dad' gets jail following midstate arrest | PennLive.com". Pennlive.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Chasing News (August 19, 2016). "A Day in the Life of Nazi Dad". YouTube.
- ^ "Infamous 'Nazi dad' wants to legally change his name to Hitler". Nj.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
External links
- "Dad Wears Nazi Uniform for Child Custody Court Hearing – Legally Weird". Blogs.findlaw.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- "Isidore 'Heath' Campbell, self-proclaimed Nazi, wanted by New Jersey police – Washington Times". Washingtontimes.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- "The Inevitable Fallout of Naming Your Son Hitler – The Atlantic – The Atlantic". Theatlantic.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.