Mother of Patriot Front member arrested in Idaho: 'It makes me sick'

Yahoo Entertainment
23

On Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday, Karen Amsden spoke about her son’s affiliation with a group of alleged white nationalists arrested in Idaho on Saturday. Jared Boyce was one of 31 men tied to the white nationalist group Patriot Front who were arrested near a Pride event for conspiracy to riot.

“When he came home, I was really hoping he might have had a wake up call,” Amsden said. “But when he came back on Monday and I went out to the house to talk to him, and he believes in what they did. He was standing by it.”

Amsden said she’s warned her son that affiliating with such a group could lead to trouble.

“I’ve been warning him for years now that it’s not gonna take you in a good place,” Amsden said, “and it could ultimately get you in so much trouble that you’re in jail and you’re not seeing your sons and not spending time with them, and you’re gonna lose them. He always just brushed that aside and dismisses it.”

Amsden said her son believes in hateful right-wing conspiracies, like the talking point among some in conservative media that members of the LGBTQ community are “grooming” children. She added that she finds his beliefs sickening.

“I just can’t believe that he believes all this ridiculous conspiracy crap and wants to blame people for all these things, and hates groups of people,” Amsden said. “That’s not who I am, and it makes me sick to listen to it and sicker to know that this is coming from my son, who somewhere inside has a loving, loving heart.”

Video Transcript

KAREN AMSDEN: When he came home, I was really hoping he would-- he might have had a wake up call. But when he came back on Monday, and I went out to the house to talk to him. And he believes in what they did. He was standing by it.

KYLIE MAR: On "Anderson Cooper 360" Wednesday, Karen Amsden sat down with Sara Sidner to discuss her son Jared Boyce, who was one of 31 men arrested in Idaho on Saturday, with alleged ties to the White nationalist group Patriot Front for conspiracy to riot at a Pride event. Amsden said she had warned her son that his affiliation with the group would lead to trouble.

KAREN AMSDEN: I've been warning him for years now that it's not going to take you in a good place. And it, ultimately, could get you in so much trouble that you're in jail, and you're not seeing your sons, and not spending time with them. And you're going to lose them.

KYLIE MAR: Amsden spoke about the moment following the arrest that she decided to kick her son, who is 27 years old and living in her basement, out of the house.

KAREN AMSDEN: I felt like he was even more entrenched in it. And so that's when I said, you need to-- I can't. We can't do this. You can't live at my house, and be doing this kind of stuff, and putting this kind of hate out into the world, and putting yourself in danger.

KYLIE MAR: Amsden said that her son buys into hateful right wing conspiracies. And said she finds his beliefs sickening.

KAREN AMSDEN: I just can't believe that he believes all this ridiculous conspiracy crap and wants to blame people for all these things, and hates groups of people. That's not who I am, and it makes me sick to listen to it, and sicker to know that this is coming from my son.