Covert hate groups operating in New York City

Discovery

Because of its cosmopolitan sensibilities, many of us forget that New York City also harbors hate groups. Yet according to the Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate map," 44 groups from the KKK to jihadist groups operate in the city. Some of these groups are overtly hate-filled, like the KKK, but others operate more covertly, like Castle Hill Publishers, whose leader has been an avowed holocaust denier. Because some of these groups were previously unknown to me, I decided to focus on one that might have gone unrecognized for what it is: the Alamo Christian Foundation. Typically a Christian organization should not be a hate group but the Southern Poverty Law Center shows how and why the Alamo Christian Foundation preaches "general hate."

Description

The Alamo Christian Foundation (Tony Alamo Christian Ministries) appears to have a platform that includes conspiracy theories of all types, related to UFOs and government infiltration by "Evil International Roman Catholic Government Agents." The rhetoric would be comedic were it not for the fact that many in this ministry must believe it and have the ability to possess weapons to defend their beliefs. I am not surprised this group exists, but I am disturbed to realize that groups like this operate covertly in New York City, making it so that I do not know who the members are when I walk down the street.

Discussion

The American commitment to free speech makes addressing hate groups challenging. Readings like those about laissez-faire racism and the more subtle types of hatred show how sinister "underground" hatred has become. The example of the Alamo Christian Foundation is but one of many covert hate groups that on the surface seem like any ordinary fringe organization. Free speech needs to be aggressively countered by access to credible information. Groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center are doing well to alert the public about the real character of some of these groups, but schools and parents need to do more to prevent people from unknowingly spreading hate. Laissez-faire racism and the rise of political correctness has in many ways obscured the real undercurrents of hatred that still propagate themselves in American society. As some hate groups have found solace in a Trump presidency, it may be a good time to start talking more honestly about the existence of these groups to minimize their potential destructiveness.