Did you know that there is over 800 white Supremacists groups in America?

The State of Hate: White Supremacist Groups Growing

The number of hate groups operating in the United States continued to
rise in 2008 and has grown by 54 percent since 2000 — an increase
fueled last year by immigration fears, a failing economy, and the
successful campaign of Barack Obama, according to the Southern Poverty
Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC identified 926 hate groups active in 2008,
up more than four percent from the 888 groups in 2007 and far above the
602 groups documented in 2000.¹⁵

"Barack Obama's election has inflamed racist extremists who see
it as another sign that their country is under siege by nonwhites," said
Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report, a SPLC
quarterly investigative journal that monitors the radical right. "The
idea of a black man in the White House, combined with the deepening
economic crisis and continuing high levels of Latino immigration, has
given white supremacists a real platform on which to recruit."¹⁶

The DHS assessment on right-wing extremism, which was provided to
federal, state, and local law enforcement, warned that right-wing
extremists "may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about
several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the
first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing
radicalization and recruitment."

In the days prior to the presidential election, Daniel Cowart,
20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena,
Arkansas were arrested by federal agents for allegedly plotting to
assassinate Obama followed by a plan to engage in a multi-state "killing
spree." The men met through the Internet and planned to shoot 88
African Americans and behead another 14. Targets included a
predominantly African-American school. At the end of the alleged spree,
the men intended to try to kill Obama. "88," an important number in
skinhead numerology, means "Heil Hitler" — as "H" is the eighth letter
of the alphabet. "14" likely refers to the "14 Words," a white
supremacist slogan that originated with the late David Lane. Lane died
last year in prison while serving a sentence for his role in an
assassination plot carried out by The Order, a white supremacist
terrorist group that was destroyed in 1984. One of the suspects, Cowart,
is a known member of a new skinhead hate group, the Supreme White
Alliance (SWA), formed at the beginning of 2008, according to the
Southern Poverty Law Center. He attended a birthday party for Adolf
Hitler held last April by the group. SWA is headed by Steven Edwards,
son of Ron Edwards, who leads the Imperial Klans of America.¹⁷

After Obama's election victory in November, white supremacist
online activity spiked, with people posting hundreds of messages to
online forums. White supremacist groups and individuals claimed that the
Obama presidency, the immigration issue, and tough economic times would
serve as powerful catalysts for recruiting more people to the white
supremacist movement. Jeff Schoep, head of the National Socialist
Movement, the largest Neo-Nazi group in America, said interest in the
NSM "has really spiked up," but would not reveal by how much.¹⁸
Don Black, a 55 year-old former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, claimed more
than 2,000 people joined his website on the day after Obama's election,
up from 80 on an ordinary day. Started in 1995, Black's website is one
of the oldest and largest hate group sites, now claiming 110,000
members. As David Duke, a former Klan leader who was once a member of
the Louisiana legislature, has said, Obama is a "visual aid" that
galvanizes the white supremacist movement.¹⁹

According to Schoep, extremists are also exploiting the economic
crisis, spreading propaganda that blames minorities and immigrants for
the subprime mortgage meltdown. "Historically, when times get tough in
our nation, that's how movements like ours gain a foothold," he said.
"When the economy suffers, people are looking for answers. … We are the
answer for white people."²⁰ Membership in the National
Socialist Movement has grown by 40 percent in recent months, according
to Schoep, the "most dramatic growth" since the mid-1990s, mostly
because of the nation's dire economic circumstances. "You have an
American work force facing massive unemployment. And you have presidents
and politicians flinging open the borders telling them to take the few
jobs left while our men are in soup kitchens."²¹

In Pennsylvania, where the Hispanic population has increased 41
percent from 2000 through 2007, "Keystone United," a hate group that
recently changed its name from "Keystone State Skinheads," has used the
immigration issue to recruit new members. "A lot of these small
working-class towns are being invaded by different types of people,"
said Douglas Myers, one of Keystone United's founders. USA Today
described Keystone United as a group that "speaks out for the rights of
whites being pushed aside by newcomers." The group plans
family-friendly outings, meets in public libraries, and avoids the
violence traditionally associated with skinheads. "It's not the footage
from the ‘80s with people burning crosses. It's a very healthy
environment," said Myers.²²

Ann Van Dyke of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission said of
Keystone United: "It appears they are tapping into and fanning the
flames of mainstream America's fear of immigrants. They are increasingly
using the language of Main Street, things like, ‘We want safe
communities to raise our children.'"²³

"Many white supremacist groups are going more mainstream," said Jack
Levin, a Northeastern University criminologist who studies hate crime.
"They are eliminating the sheets and armbands. … The groups realize if
they want to be attractive to middle-class types, they need to look
middle-class." Levin estimated fewer than 50,000 people are members of
white supremacist groups, but he says their influence is growing with a
more sophisticated approach.²⁴

DHS assesses that since the 2008 election, right-wing extremists
"have capitalized on related racial and political prejudices in expanded
propaganda campaigns, thereby reaching out to a wider audience of
potential sympathizers."