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Hate Groups
Hate In The Sunshine State
Florida trails only California in the number of organized hate groups.
Violence is a recurring theme in the message boards. In one discussion posted in July, five Florida-based Stormfront members rabidly bemoan the racial makeup of Miami-Dade County until one suggests that "instead of sitting behind their computers and talking about it," they ought to get together to do something about it. A member from Homestead replies that he's "game." The internet has provided "a whole new avenue for neo-Nazis to attract new members and spread their racism" and increased their reach "exponentially," says Rosenkranz.
Internet aside, Rosenkranz points out other efforts to spread propaganda and attract followers. In 2005, at the Daytona 500 race, neo-Nazis handed out propaganda and flew banners from planes near the racetrack. The group that flew those banners, a National Alliance offshoot in Tampa known at the time as National Vanguard, distributes CDs containing "pro-white" music and racist messages.
In July, another hate group, the Nationalist Coalition, hosted its second annual "Summerfest" at a motel outside Tampa. The event featured musical performances of "white pride" music, and Black was recognized for his work with developing the pro-white country music genre.
Speaking at the event was Edgar Steele, an Idaho-based trial lawyer known for defending Richard Butler and Aryan Nations in a 2000 case brought against them by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of a woman and her son who were attacked by Aryan Nations guards. In one recording, Steele advises his audience not to "hate irrationally" but lauds the idea of "complete racial separation" based on a "proclivity" toward violence by black people. "I think there's room in America for black people. I think there's room in America for a black America. I just want it to be a separate country, and I want them to all be in it." His pronouncement is followed by laughter and clapping.
Meanwhile, Shady Hills resident John Ubele, operations manager for the Nationalist Coalition, a Tampa offshoot of National Vanguard, has been drawing attention by running for a seat on Pasco County's Mosquito Control Board. He encourages other white separatists to take to the hustings. "If you do win an office, you will get very valuable political experience. You will also be in a position to work for White interests," he writes on his group's website. Ubele refused to comment for this article. Contacted by e-mail for an interview, Ubele said he would agree in exchange for $500 to his campaign and a free advertisement in the magazine.
It's impossible to know how much hate-related criminal activity the organized groups are responsible for, but there's plenty of hate-related crime in the state. In one recent case in Volusia County, a cross with the letters "KKK" was burned in a lot adjacent to where a biracial couple lived in Osteen, northeast of Orlando, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In June, a large, red swastika and the words "White Power" were spray-painted on the garage door of a home in Deltona where an African-American couple recently lived. Within the past year, similar incidents of vandalism have been reported in Stuart, Bonita Springs, Parrish, St. Petersburg and New Smyrna Beach.
There have been no arrests in the Volusia County cases, and Sheriff's Department spokesman Gary Davidson says his office hasn't been able to determine whether the acts were done randomly by individuals or as the result of planning by a group.
Rosenkranz says the U.S. Constitution protects even the vilest forms of racist speech. But he warns that an undertone of violence accompanies even the less virulent activities of hate groups. "There's a danger in being a bigot. A lot of them are violent. A lot of them do have violent pasts. A lot of the leaders have been arrested. There is a portion of the personalities that you see in this world that naturally tends toward violence.
