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IR 116

'Easy Prey'

Issue Number: 
116
 | 
Winter
 
2004

Hate groups and rapidly changing demographics put anti-immigrant violence on the rise in Georgia. Christian Identity leader James Wickstrom makes the biggest power play of his career. Neo-Confederates make a bid to change history by influencing museums and changing academe from the inside out.

In This Issue

The Battle of 'Georgiafornia'

In Georgia, where nearly 1 million Hispanic immigrants have arrived since 1990, xenophobic hatred and violence are on the rise
By Bob Moser
In Canton, Georgia, Guatemalan worker Domingo Lopez Vargas was brutally beaten by local teens looking for fun — a crime emblematic of racial tension and xenophobic violence on the rise in the region.

Return of the Pastor

By Susy Buchanan
James Wickstrom, one of Christian Identity's most vicious firebrands, has been relatively quiet for years. As he makes a bid for the leadership of the notorious neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, that may be changing.

Confederates in the Museum

Activists from radical 'pro-South' groups are pressuring history professionals to adopt distorted views of American history
Interviews with four history professionals who have faced neo-Confederate activism reveal that these radicals are pressuring history professionals to adopt distorted historical perspectives.

More Features

The Immigration Backlash

Editorial
By Mark Potok, Senior Fellow
As the number of undocumented Hispanic workers grows in communities throughout America, a violent backlash takes hold through vigilante action and legislated anti-immigrant sentiment.

Little Men

By Heidi Beirich and Mark Potok
Today's neo-Confederate ideologues are the latest in a long line of highly conservative Southern intellectuals. Or are they?

Alabama Getaway

Its founder dead, Aryan Nations heads south to a cloudy future. The violence of its members, however, remains clear
By Bob Moser
After the death of its founder, Richard Butler, the Aryan Nations faced a cloudy future by moving its once-famed headquarters from Idaho to Alabama.

They're Back

A fresh batch of extremist ex-cons hits the streets
By Camille Jackson
Many extremists seem to be rejuvenated by serving time — including this list of just-released radical luminaries, including David Duke and Wallace Weicherding.

The Ideologues

Who are the intellectuals who form the core of the modern neo-Confederate movement? And what exactly do they think?
By Heidi Beirich and Mark Potok
Read about the intellectuals and ideas that have shaped the core of the modern neo-Confederate movement.

A Different Kind of Hero

By Mark Potok, Senior Fellow
Who was Nathan Bedford Forrest, the man now lauded as the top hero of neo-Confederate activists? A military genius? A brutal bully? Or both?

Pants-demonium

'Unregistered churches' activists gathered recently to denounce the government. But it was women in pants who really got their goat
By Susy Buchanan
'Unregistered churches' activists gathered recently to denounce the government. But it was women in pants who really got their goat.

La batalla de 'Georgiafornia'

En Georgia, estado al que han llegado cerca de 1 millón de inmigrantes hispanos desde 1990, se está incrementando el odio y violencia originados por la xenofobia

Briefs

Neo-Nazi Leader's Past Resurfaces on Day of Triumph

White Supremacists
The same day that he led a successful anti-Semitic rally at Valley Forge, Penn., National Socialist Movement commander Jeff Schoep was exposed as an unemployed petty criminal in his local paper.

Cops, Neighbors Fire Back at Arizona's Border Vigilantes

Anti-Immigration
In dust-ups with federal agents and a neighbor's garage, Arizona's anti-immigrant activists aren't engaging in vigilantism unimpeded.

Wal-Mart Drops Protocols, But Controversy Lives On

Selling Extremism
Though Wal-Mart deems Sheryl Crow and gay-interest magazines unfit for its shelves, its website sells racist novels and neo-Confederate literature.

Despite Revelations, Heritage Groups Keep Convicted 'Aryan' Plotter in the Fold

Neo-Confederates
Despite revelations of his 'Aryan' paramilitary past — including convictions for armed robbery, theft and criminal conspiracy — Southern heritage activists continue to claim Michael Tubbs as one of their own.

Neo-Nazi Label Woos Teens with Hate-Music Sampler

Youth Recruitment
Neo-Nazi music label Panzerfaust is out to recruit kids with its hard-rock CD sampler — a CD full of racist music now being distributed to schoolchildren free of charge.

Ex-Guardsman Planned Slaughter of Jews, Police Say

Extremist Plots
According to authorities in Tennessee, ex-National Guard soldier and neo-Nazi Ivan Duane Braden planned to take over the local armory and murder hostages before he turned himself over to a mental institution.

Hate on Trial

By Catherine E. Smith
The First Amendment protects hatemongers' racist beliefs. So how can prosecutors introduce evidence of racism at trial?