Tag: Klu Klux Klan

Brooklyn Center officials considering removing Earle Brown’s name from city sites

One historian says the former Hennepin County sheriff once belonged to the Ku Klux Klan.

Brooklyn Center leaders are confronting allegations that favorite son Earle Brown belonged to the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, and they may soon opt to separate the city from a name that adorns many of its most prominent buildings.

Even the city’s summer festival, Earle Brown Days, honors the man who served as Hennepin County sheriff, helped found the Minnesota State Patrol and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1932.

But at a City Council work session last week, members expressed concern about information on Brown in “The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota,” a book published in 2013 by Minneapolis high school teacher Elizabeth Dorsey Hatle. They’re weighing name changes for the Earle Brown Heritage Center, Earle Brown Drive and Earle Brown Days. Continue reading.

Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence

The following article by Scott Clement and David Nakamura was posted on the Washington Post website August 21, 2017:

Twice as many Americans disapprove than approve of President Trump’s response to the deadly Charlottesville protests led by white supremacists that ignited widespread political backlash against the White House, although a majority of Republicans offer at least tepid support in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Trump’s handling of the racially charged clashes at the Unite the Right rally Aug. 12 erupted into a major flash point in his administration and earned him rebukes from members of Congress, military leaders and major business executives. The president equivocated in denouncing the hate groups and cast blame on “both sides” for the deadly violence, prompting criticism that he was fanning racial tensions. Continue reading “Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence”

Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?

The following article by Julia Flasphaler was posted on the AlterNet website August 16, 2017:

Credit: Youtube screencap / Vice News

Neo-Nazis suddenly seem highly visible following this weekend’s Unite the Right riot in Charlottesville that left counter-protester Heather Heyer dead. The protest was largely void of Klan hoods, suggesting that neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are feeling more emboldened. With the renewed visibility of these groups, many may be wondering: How many people do hate groups count as members, and where are these groups located?

Data from the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the number of hate groups is currently near the country’s all-time recorded high, in 2011. The SPLC reports that as of 2016, there are 917 active groups. (That’s 100 fewer than the 1,108 groups reported in 2011.) The SPLC’s hate map identifies groups by tracking their publications and websites. Of those 917, more than 90 are neo-Nazi groups. California has the highest number with 79, followed by Florida with 63 and Texas with 55. Continue reading “Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?”