Atascadero police chief cuts ties with his white supremacist nephew

Nathan Damigo is a high-profile white nationalist leader in California who’s attended white supremacist gatherings across the country, espoused racist views and gained publicity when a video of him punching a woman during a rally in Berkeley went viral earlier this year.

He is also the nephew of Atascadero Police Chief Jerel Haley.

“That’s a family member that I am not proud of,” Haley said when he confirmed the relationship to The Tribune this week.

In a brief phone conversation and follow-up emails with The Tribune, Haley denounced Damigo’s activities, called his nephew’s views about race “abhorrent.” He said he stopped associating with Damigo more than a year ago.

“As his activities kind of increased, I let him know that I didn’t agree with his views and I wasn’t willing to have continued association with him,” Haley said. “I haven’t had any association with him for some time.”

He also indicated regret for the man his nephew has become, as well as worry for how a family member’s public actions could affect the Police Department he’s led for the last six years.

The last time Damigo made headlines was in mid-October when he was convicted of a misdemeanor for “failing to disperse in a riot” during the Charlottesville rally in August that he helped organize. In the midst of the violent event, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a white nationalist allegedly drove his car into the crowd.

The family connection between Haley and Damigo, who lives in Stanislaus County, first surfaced online on the website of Northern California Anti-Racist Action, which profiles known white supremacists.

Profiles of Damigo in the Los Angeles Times and the Modesto Bee track how he founded the white nationalist group Identity Evropa — which describes itself as “awakened Europeans” who “oppose those who would defame our history and rich cultural heritage” — after he was released from prison for armed robbery of a Middle-Eastern taxi cab driver.

Reports said the former Marine, who served two tours in Iraq, was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

During his time in prison, he read a book by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, which he has said informed his worldview that includes beliefs that immigration and diversity were destroying the country.

Not the man I once knew

His rise as an alt-right icon has been “very difficult” for members of his family, his grandmother, Frances Lodge, told a newspaper after the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally.

“This is not what we expected. This is not what we believe. But we love him anyway,” Lodge said.

Haley expressed similar sentiments; He denounced Damigo’s actions, not Damigo.

“I don’t support what he has done as part of the alt-right movement and as it relates to the recent demonstrations. On the other hand, there was a time that I was very proud of him and his service to our country and a Marine fighting oversees. His current activities are not reflective of the young man I once knew,” Haley said.

“Nathan is a troubled man with abhorrent views about race. I only hope something changes his heart someday,” he said.

Effects on department

Haley said his one concern about addressing the relationship is what effect it could have on the department, which faces a lawsuit for alleged systematic racism. Haley has denied the accusations.

He said he’s been honest when questions about his relationship to Damigo have been brought up.

“I haven’t been shy about it. There are a few people who know. It’s not something that affects my agency. We do our job, and we do it professionally,” Haley said.

Correction: A previous version of this story reported an incorrect name. The woman who was killed in Charlottesville was named Heather Heyer.

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Atascadero police chief cuts ties with his white supremacist nephew."