“All hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” -Southern Poverty Law Center
A quantitative look at organized groups that practice racism indicates that over 900 such groups are active in every state except Alaska and Hawaii. California leads the pack with a whopping 84 groups, but in a relative population of over 30 million people. The southern US hosts over 410 such groups, and even the least populous state play host to at least one such group.
A survey of the largest groups results in the following classifications: Racist Skinhead, Neo Nazi, Aryan Nation, White Nationalist, General racist, General hate, Black Separatist, Ku Klux Klan, Anti Gay, Anti Immigrant, Radical Traditionalist Catholic, Christian Identity, Holocaust Denial, Neo Confederate, and Racist Music.
There are racist groups that are founded on the basis of Nationalism, Antisemitism, Anti-Black and Hispanic cultures, Racist Nordic culture, Anti-government, Nazism, Anti-White, Confederate Resurgence, Religious Belief, Anti-Immigrant, and the production of racist music and racist themed entertainment. Other groups may have some other radical or extremist cause as their main function, but will harbor racist beliefs and attitudes.
Groups that are specifically anti-Semitic are also on the rise in Muslim, Racist, and White nationalist categories.
One group, the National Alliance, has fallen from 1,200 members to about 100. It is still considered a dangerous organization with suspected ties to Muslim terrorists and to increasingly destabilized criminals. There is a volatility in racist groups that causes them to grow during times of economic and social dissatisfaction; rise and fall based on the instability of the leadership and elements of the membership; and to be legally sanctioned for criminal activities until they must disband and liquidate their assets.
Prisons have been more of an incubator for racist groups than for punishment and rehabilitation of criminals. There are so many individual and national groups housed in American and international prisons that they cannot all be counted here. The important consideration is that the criminal element flows in and out of jail and prison, then back into the general society, to resume activities with even more preparation and organization.
A new tactic, “Sovereign Squatters”, is being used by non racist wiseacres, racists and extremists to simply move into foreclosed or empty homes on their garbled basis of a combination of sovereign right and something that they refer to as a fictitious version of “common law”. The anti government Patriot Movement has been active in California using this tactic.
Fortunately, in highly populated states, such as California, where there are large concentrations of racist groups, those groups are represented in small numbers and are overwhelmingly outnumbered by active anti-hate groups.
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