Arthur Bremer
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Arthur Herman Bremer (born August 21, 1950), the son of a Milwaukee truck driver, shot US Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace on May 15, 1972 in Laurel, Maryland, leaving him paralyzed for life.
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[edit] Background
Arthur Bremer was the fourth of five children of truck driver William Bremer and his homemaker wife Sylvia. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a working-class household. The one-paycheck family of seven was financially troubled and William soothed his tensions with booze, which exacerbated his tendency toward withdrawal. This frustrated Sylvia, leading her to lash out, causing many noisy arguments in the household. Sometimes an infuriated Sylvia would lock her husband out of the house. At other times, she got back at him by refusing to cook meals. His relations with both parents were cool and distant, but out of the two Arthur was closer to his father, who tried in his own way to be a good parent by taking his children to parades and once on a vacation to a lake. Bremer wrote in a school essay that he often pretended he "was living with a television family and there was no yelling at home and no one hit me."
Arthur didn't speak until he was four years old. However, when he entered school, teachers believed him to be slightly above average in intelligence. His IQ was 106. His grades were generally mediocre. Bremer did quite well at English and History and had a talent for writing, though he was always an atrocious speller.
School itself was an ordeal for Bremer, who could not make friends. Other children did not invite him into playground games, choosing instead to either ignore or taunt him. Bremer wrote, "No English or history test was ever as hard, no math final exam ever as difficult as waiting in a school lunch line alone, waiting to eat alone ... while hundreds huddled & gossiped and roared, & laughed and stared at me ..." and "No one ever noticed me nor took interest in me as an individual with the need to receive or give love. In junior high school, I was an object of pure ridicule for my dress, withdrawal, and asocial manner. Dozens of times, I saw individuals laugh and smile more in ten to fifteen minutes than I did in all my life up to then". This appeared in Bremer's publication An Assassin's Diary which was published in 1973.
One Teacher wrote it was a pleasure to have Bremer in class, but when he was in the third grade, another wrote that "Arthur has adjusted well in class but hasn't made an effort as of yet to play with the other children at recess".
Bremer was not the type of youth who attracted concern because he wasn't rebellious. Instead, he was the sort of adolescent who was in emotional trouble but whose problems were easily overlooked because they did not involve the kind of transgressions that authority figures focus on. Despite his problems, he managed to graduate from high school on 28 January 1969.
After graduating, Bremer worked as a busboy at the Men's Grill in the Milwaukee Athletic Club and also added an additional $2.70 an hour job as a janitor at Story Elementary School from the fall of 1970 onwards. At the time he obtained his second job, he also studied photography at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. However, after registering for the spring 1971 semester at MATC, Bremer dropped out and then moved out of his parents' home on 16 October 1971 after a major fall-out with his parents.
At the Athletic club, Bremer was described as "a very good worker, very dependable" but one waitress said he was "weird". However, just after moving out of his parents home, he was demoted to kitchen work at the Athletic Club after patrons complained of Bremer mumbling and talking to himself, whistling and marching in time to music being played in the dining room. Unhappy with this demotion, he filed a complaint with the Milwaukee Community Relations Commission which rejected Bremer's complaint and found it was bordering on paranoia.
Residents of the apartment building at 2433 West Michigan Street to which Bremer moved noted that he always had the same wardrobe: blue suit, white shirt and gray tie. He saw no member of his family from just after Christmas 1971 up to his arrest in May 1972. In one instance during a snowstorm in the winter of 1971/1972, Bremer chose to drive his car back and forth over the fallen snow, instead of shoveling it.
[edit] Previous arrest
It seems that the year 1971 was an Annus Horribilis for Bremer. As well as the major fall-out with his parents in October, a friend of his (Bremer had hardly any friends) died of a drug overdose on 22 May. Bremer was arrested for the first time in his life on 18 November 1971 for carrying a concealed weapon and for parking his car in a no-parking zone. After undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, he was fined for disorderly conduct a month later. Despite this, Bremer was still able to purchase a Charter Arms .38 caliber pistol on January 13, 1972 from Casanova Guns, Inc.
[edit] Romantic relationship
While working at his janitor job, in the fall of 1971 Bremer met Joan Pemrich, a 16-year old hall monitor. Despite the seeming impropriety of his feelings and Bremer's inappropriate behavior, the couple went out on three dates. Knowing little of girls and women in the real world, on his first date, Bremer displayed pornographic pictures to Pemrich and made a lot of graphic sex talk. He said he could help Pemrich with her hang-ups as he knew a lot about psychology.
Bremer's inappropriate behavior also showed itself at a Blood, Sweat and Tears concert he and Pemrich attended. Trying to act the suave lothario and attempting to demonstrate his new man-about-town cool, Bremer pressed a kiss on a woman who was not in their group whilst queueing to get into the concert. The woman promptly reported his action to a police officer who let Bremer off with a warning. Bremer attempted to impress Pemrich and her friends by dramatically dancing in his seat and clapping when no one else was and swaying back and forth during the concert. After the concert finished, Bremer excitedly whispered to Pemrich that his genitals were large and told her that he was so aroused he could hardly walk.
After this, Pemrich dumped Bremer. He repeatedly phoned her, begging her to see him again but Pemrich flatly refused. He then shaved off all of his long hair "to show that inside I feel as empty as my shaved head". Catching up with her, he pulled off his knit cap and showed her his bald pate (only his sideburns remained) Pemrich walked away without speaking.
The now bald head caused another embarrassment for Bremer. On 15 January 1972 the school at which he worked had a dance and Bremer was on hand to help clean up. Some of his ex-girlfriend's friends visited the place to have a look at his baldness. They got there when the lights were out. The lights went on, the girls saw Bremer's bald shiny head and burst out laughing at him.
[edit] Planning an assassination
Bremer quit his janitor job on 16 February. Two weeks later, on March 1, 1972 he began his diary with the words, "It is my personal plan to assassinate by pistol either Richard Nixon or George Wallace". His purpose was "to do SOMETHING BOLD AND DRAMATIC, FORCEFULL & DYNAMIC, A STATEMENT of my manhood for the world to see."
On 23 March, Bremer attended a Wallace dinner and rally at Milwaukee's Red Carpet Airport Inn. At this time though, the main focus of Bremer's activities was to assassinate President Nixon. Bremer also hoped that his act would result in his death and create infamy and glory for himself. On 4 April 1972 he flew to New York to visit a massage parlour in the hope of losing his virginity and stayed at the Waldorf Hotel. That evening he appeared at a Wallace victory rally. On 8 April, he slipped the weapon under a mat in the trunk of his car, but it went down so deeply under the right wheel well that he could not get it back out again. It was removed a week after Bremer's arrest when the car was dismantled. Bremer had other guns with him but in his New York hotel room, his Browning .38 automatic went off accidentally.
On 10 April Bremer travelled to Ottawa and stayed at the Lord Elgin hotel. Four days later, Nixon made a public appearance in a Limousine at Parliament Hill. Bremer was dressed in a business suit, wearing sunglasses, with a revolver in his pocket hoping to assassinate the President, but security was tight, due to presence of Vietnam War protesters and Canadian nationalists. Ottawa police officers guarded the motorcade's path, making it impossible for anyone to get close to Nixon. Bremer was also unsure whether any bullets would go through the glass of Nixon's Limousine. As a result, he didn't open fire and the President sped past unharmed.
Bremer left Canada the following day, staying at the Sheraton Motor Inn in New Carrollton, Maryland for three days. After this he returned to Milwaukee. On 24 April he stated that "I'm as important as the start of WW1. I just need the little opening and a second of time".
However, having realized it would be near impossible to assassinate Nixon, on 4 May he decided that Wallace would have the "honor" of being his victim, even though his diary entries never showed the same enthusiasm as they did with regards to assassinating Nixon, with entries such as "Who the hell ever got buried in 'Bama for being great?" and "To this man it seems only another failure. I won't even rate a TV enteroption [sic] in Russia or Europe when the news breaks. He won't get more than 3 minutes on network TV news".
[edit] Events leading up to the shooting
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, on 8 May Bremer left his Milwaukee apartment for what was to be the final time. He travelled east in the 1967 blue Rambler going to Maryland. On 9 May Bremer visited Wallace headquarters in Silver Spring and offered to work in the campaign. On the evening of 10 May he attended a Wallace rally in Cadillac, Michigan.
The following day he was in Michigan. Bremer attended a Wallace rally on the evening of 13 May in Kalamazoo which passed off without any incident. He had the chance to shoot his target but didn't because, according to his diary, he could have shattered some glass and blinded some "stupid 15-year-olds" who stood nearby. He made his final diary entry the following day, 14 May 1972, when he travelled to Maryland for the third time in a month. The final words in the diary were "My cry upon firing will be "A penny for your thoughts". Copyright 1972. All rights reserved. Arthur H. Bremer".
[edit] The shooting
Bremer turned up in Wheaton, Maryland, for a noon appearance as Wallace was making at a shopping-center rally on 15 May 1972 dressed in dark glasses, patriotic red, white and blue and wearing his new campaign button which said "WALLACE in '72". He strongly applauded everything Wallace said, which was in contrast with many others who heckled and taunted Wallace. Two tomatoes were thrown at Wallace during the rally, but missed. Based on this reception, Wallace refused to shake hands with those present, denying Bremer the opportunity to carry out his plan.
At the second rally, which took place at Laurel Shopping Center, 16 miles away, there was minor heckling early on but that didn't last. About 1,000 people were present and they were mostly quiet and listened approvingly to what Wallace said. After he had finished speaking, Wallace shook hands with some of those present, against the advice of his Secret Service guards. At approximately 4:00 p.m., a few minutes after the rally ended, Bremer pushed his way forward, stuck his gun in Wallace's stomach and opened fire, emptying the weapon before he could be subdued. He hit Wallace four times. Wallace lost a pint of blood and was in a mild state of shock. One bullet lodged in his spinal cord; the others hit Wallace in the abdomen and chest. Three other people present were wounded accidentally: Alabama State Trooper Captain E C Dothard (Wallace's personal bodyguard), Dora Thompson (a campaign volunteer) and Nick Zarvos (a Secret Service agent). They all made a full recovery.
[edit] Aftermath
After Bremer's arrest, his apartment was searched. Found were Wallace campaign buttons, a Confederate flag, boxes of shells, old high school themed pornographic magazines, Black Panther literature, a booklet entitled 101 Things To Do in Jail and various newspaper clippings, including one on the difficulty of providing security for campaigning politicians. In Bremer's diary were comments such as "My country tis of thee land of sweet bigotry", "Never say colored, say Negro, so here is a negro card", "My blood is black", "Cheer up Oswald", "White collared, male, suburban, republican robot", "A Thundering of hooves and out of the western sky came the colored man" and "If I live tomorrow then it will be a long time".
Police described Bremer's car as a "hotel on wheels". In it they found blankets, pillows, binoculars, a woman's umbrella, a tape recorder, a portable radio with police band, an electric shaver, photographic equipment, a 1972 copy of a Writer's Yearbook, two books on the assassination of Robert Kennedy entitled Sirhan and RFK Must Die, and a Browning 9mm semiautomatic pistol. From 8 May 1972 to the day of his arrest Bremer had slept in his car.
During his subsequent trial in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, which was condensed to a 5-day morning to twilight event to accommodate presiding Judge Ralph W. Powers' upcoming vacation plans. It was held only two and a half months after Bremer shot Wallace. The defense argued that Bremer was legally insane at the time of the shooting and that he had "no emotional capacity to understand anything", but the jury rejected this argument after the prosecution countered that he was perfectly sane. Arthur Marshall for the prosecution, told the court that Bremer, whilst obviously disturbed and in need of Psychiatric treatment, as well as being full of hate and feelings of intense humiliation, was sane, knew what he was doing, had been seeking glory and was still sorry that Wallace had not died. Marshall said that Bremer "Knew he would be arrested... He knew he would be on trial".
On 4 August 1972 the jury of six men and six women took just over an hour and a half to reach their verdict. Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison shooting Wallace and three other people. When asked if he had anything to say, Bremer replied "Well, Mr. Marshall [the prosecutor] mentioned that he would like society to be protected from someone like me. Looking back on my life I would have liked it if society had protected me from myself. That’s all I have to say at this time".
The sentence was reduced to 53 years on 28 September after an appeal.
Part of Bremer's diary was published in 1973 as An Assassin's Diary. In it, he states that he was not particularly opposed to Wallace's political agenda, which was notable for its pro-segregationist stance, but that his primary motive was to become infamous.
The remainder of his diary (pages 1-148) was found on August 26, 1980 where he had concealed it, heavily wrapped, at the foot of Milwaukee's 27th Street viaduct. In it, he discussed his hatred for Nixon (Wallace was clearly a secondary target); fantasized about killing unnamed individuals who angered him, or opening fire at random at the corner of 3rd Street and Wisconsin Avenue downtown; and confessed his admiration for Vel Phillips, a pioneering black officeholder of Milwaukee (who was elected and serving as Secretary of State of Wisconsin when the diary was found).
Despite the existence of many conspiracy theories, no one other than Bremer has ever been charged in connection with the shooting. One reason for talk of a conspiracy stemmed from the fact that Bremer's 1971 income tax return stated that he had earned only $1,611, bringing up the question of how Bremer paid for his travels while stalking Nixon and later Wallace. Another theory was based on the owner of Bremer's apartment building allowing reporters into the alleged assassin's apartment the night of the shooting. Some journalists were later seen leaving with items from Bremer's apartment. According to "The Politics of Rage" by Dan T. Carter, a publication about Wallace's life, Bremer had saved $1500 dollars when he lived at home with his parents. By the time he shot Wallace, all he had left was $1.73. It appears this was how he financed his travels between March and May 1972.
Bremer would serve as the inspiration for the Travis Bickle character played by Robert DeNiro, in Taxi Driver (1976). That film would subsequently be termed as a motivating factor in John Hinckley, Jr.'s decision to shoot President Ronald Reagan.
Arthur Bremer is presently serving time at the Maryland Correctional Institution (MCI-H) in Hagerstown, Maryland. If not paroled, he will be released in 2025 at the age of 75. With time off for good behavior, Bremer could be released in 2015, but according to 1997 parole records, psychological testing indicated releasing Bremer would be risky. He argued in his June 1996 hearing that "Shooting segregationist dinosaurs wasn't as bad as harming mainstream politicians".[1]
Wallace forgave Bremer in August 1995 and wrote to him[2] expressing the hope that the two could get to know each other better. Part of Wallace's letter said "Dear Arthur, your shooting me in 1972 caused me a lot of discomfort and pain. I am a born-again Christian. I love you. I have asked our Heavenly Father to touch your heart, and I hope that you will ask him for forgiveness of your sin so you can go to heaven like I am going to heaven. I hope that we can get to know each other better. We have heard of each other a long time" and "Please let Jesus Christ be your savior".
Bremer didn't reply. The former Alabama governor died on September 13, 1998.
[edit] Trivia
- Bremer's apartment was three blocks away from the apartment where Jeffrey Dahmer killed many of his victims.
- Bremer had a carefully chosen catchphrase of "A Penny For Your Thoughts!", which he decided to yell as he shot Wallace. In the heat of the assassination attempt, however, he forgot to yell it.
- Peter Gabriel wrote a song, "Family Snapshot", based on "An Assassin's Diary."
- Bremer is briefly mentioned in Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins as a placed member of the audience. When the John Wilkes Booth character addresses the audience in the scene titled November 22, 1963 he asks, "Is Artie Bremer here tonight? Where is Artie Bremer?" The audience placed Artie Bremer comically hollars out "It was a bum rap, my penis made me do it."
[edit] References
- ^ "Mourners praise George Wallace at vigil", Cable News Network, Inc. (CNN). September 16, 1998. URL retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ "Pope-Wallace meeting remembered", The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama. April 6, 2005. URL retrieved on December 23, 2006.
[edit] External links
- "Wallace Is Shot, Legs Paralyzed; Suspect Siezed at Laurel Rally", William Greider, Washington Post, May 16, 1972
- "George Wallace's Appointment in Laurel", Time Magazine, May 29, 1972
- "Bremer case still a riddle because of Judge's haste" (abstract), Michael Olesker, Baltimore Sun, January 28, 1996
