Hate Groups In The U.S.: Will The Changing Face Of The Nation Spur Hate Group Participation?

While the U.S. Census Bureau’s longtime prediction that the size of the country’s racial and ethnic groups will together surpass that of the non-Hispanic white population has already become a reality among the nation's newborns, there is little evidence that the trend is prompting new interest in the nation’s hate groups.

“I think it would certainly feed into this generalized fear that the radical right has had for several years,” says Booth Gunter, Public Affairs Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit civil rights organization that tracks the activities and size of the nation’s hate groups.

Following the U.S. Census Bureau announcement Thursday that the number of Latino, Asian and black children born between July 2010 and July 2011 outpaced the number of non-Hispanic white infants, ABCNews.com raised a question about what the demographic shift will mean. Will the shift fuel “simmering tensions” and help hate groups to grow?

But Mark Potok, a Senior Fellow at the SPLC tells The Huffington Post that the news about the way that the youngest portion of the population is changing likely did not prompt a surge in activity inside the nation's hate groups this week.

“It has nothing to do with this announcement," he said. "The growth of [hate and militia groups] didn’t happen over a few days. The idea that non-Hispanic whites would lose their majority has been well known, especially for people on the radical right.”

Indeed, hate groups in the United States have grown steadily for the last decade.

Right-wing militia, anti-government groups that espouse hate ideology actually saw their biggest increases in membership just before and after the country elected its first black President, according to a report published in March by the SPLC.

“If Obama is re-elected then chances are excellent that both [militia and hate groups] will grow at a very rapid pace. If Romney were to win, it may even reverse.”

When asked why that may be, Potok replied, “Obama represents a shift change that is so scary to so many people. He represents in a very graphic way, the racial change that is happening in our population at large.”

Check out our slideshow of Latinos By The Numbers

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• Mexico

  The nation's highest Latino population comprises 31,798,000 immigrants. The Los Angeles-Long Beach area has the nation's highest number of Mexican immigrants, with 4,569,000, although other large concentrations are found in the Chicago metro area and throughout Texas.

• Puerto Rico

  The second-largest Hispanic group in the country, Puerto Ricans make up a population of 4,624,000. The nation's largest concentration (1,192,000 people) is situated in the New York-northeastern New Jersey area.

• Cuba

  The U.S. is home to approximately 1,786,000 Cuban immigrants. Many are concentrated in Miami (784,000, to be exact) as well as the Fort Lauderdale (84,000) and Tampa-St. Petersburg areas (81,000), although the New York/New Jersey area's population (130,000) is considerable, too.

• El Salvador

  Pockets of the nation's considerable Salvadorian population (1,649,000) exist on both coasts. Los Angeles and Long Beach are home to 414,000 Salvadorians; 240,000 live in Washington, D.C., and 187,000 call the New York metro area home.

• Dominican Republic

  Nearly half of the nation's Dominican population (1,415,000) happen to like New York -- 799,000 call it home. Other sizable pockets include the Boston/New Hampshire region (86,000) and Miami (59,000).

• Guatemala

  The U.S. is home to 1,044,000 Guatemalans, with 249,000 of those residing in the Los Angeles metro area. Meanwhile, 85,000 live in the New York metro area, with another 53,000 residing near Washington, D.C.

• Colombia

  Colombian immigrants account for 909,000 U.S. citizens. Of that, 119,000 live in Miami, and another 65,000 call Fort Lauderdale home.

• Honduras

  Some 633,000 U.S. residents identify as being of Honduran origin. Of that, 66,000 reside in the Houston-Brazoria, Texas, area.

• Ecuador

  A total of 565,000 people in the U.S. are of Ecuadorian origin. According to 2009 statistics, two thirds of the population (or 64 percent) live in the Northeast, with 41 percent living in New York.

• Peru

  Compared to other Hispanic groups, the Peruvian population (533,000) is considerably more geographically dispersed. About 19 percent of the population lives in Florida, while 12 percent resides in New York. Another 16 percent reside either in California or New Jersey.

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Comments

[DeloresLongo]

10:12 PM on 03/05/2013

Biggest racist group in the country is LaRaza nothing else compares to them and their agenda to take over the country.

[Mike Q]

11:21 AM on 08/14/2012

Obama had the opportunity to help improve race issues like nobody else in the history of our country but has failed miserably. He is supposedly half white, he never mentions this, he only seems to want to be black. This comes across to me as he hates whites. As far as hate groups what do people think the naacp is? You don't see a naawp do you? If whites did this you would hear people claiming they are racist and hate all other races. Until certain groups quit getting special treatment race issues will continue to escalate. When was the last time you saw a white congressman or woman go to where a black or other than white person killed a white and heard claims it was due to racist views that the white person was killed? You don't! Why? Because whites have been called things so often it's accepted, but blacks seem to feel only they can say others are racist. When the naacp, black panthers and such go away I will then say the KKK and such are no longer needed, after all they are only standing up for their race.

[Whatdoyou thinkof this]

04:10 PM on 05/22/2012

It is only a hate group if it is a group of whites that have a negative opinion about another group. However, it is "freedom of expression" and "freedom of speech" for any other group to demand their rights to keep their culture without any respect of the impact on others.

My guess is that "diversity" has been an experiment that has failed. There are natural attractions and natural oppositions. That is the way life is. To mandate that everyone love one another is an idea that sounds good on paper, yet is an idea that does not do well in everyday life.

Think otherwise ? Look at the hatred that the Occupy movement shows towards corporate workers. how about Muslims that want to kill anyone who is in opposition to their beliefs ? One religious group wants to convert the over. There are divides amongst the Jewish people themselves and Divides over those who believe in birth control, and those that don't.

Many of us are defined by that which we are fighting against. The war on drugs, the war on cancer, the war on crime, the war on gangs, the war on war.

Yes, I think we may have reached the pivotal point where tolerance for others is proving to be an intolerant ideal.

[PublicCitizen21044]

11:53 AM on 05/22/2012

Fear and anger weaken character and destroy happiness.

[Hoodooman]

07:18 PM on 05/21/2012

Yes, I would say that divisiveness and hatred for others is on the rise; And it's coming from all angles not just right -wing militia groups.

[PublicCitizen21044]

12:07 PM on 05/22/2012

Ideas may take origin in the stimuli of the outer world, but ideals are born only in the creative realms of the inner world. Today the nations of the World are directed by men who have a superabundance of ideas, but they are poverty stricken in ideals. That is the explaination of poverty stricken in ideals. That is the explaination of poverty, divorce, war, and racial hatreds.
---TUB-1955

[ChefPete1]

05:21 PM on 05/21/2012

We teach our kids (black and white alike) to be responsible and NOT have children until they can afford them and/or have life experiences to teach their children something...anything. Why is it "hate" when I express disgust at 12 and 14-year-old girls having babies with impunity? Why is it "hate" when I hear people say, "it's a cultural thing" and my response is "NO, it's known as Statutory Rape!" And they all know Uncle Sam will foot the bill...and if they live in New York, they can also collect assistance in Pennsylvania...that's not hate, just a fact. My next-door neighbor from the DR told me this week that I was the ONLY person he knows who does not have an Access Card or two! If you think this is hatred, I welcome you to come live in my block for a week.

[Whatdoyou thinkof this]

11:23 PM on 05/22/2012

Proud to be your first fan ! Keep up your genuine expression of your thoughts and ideas. eventually they will take hold.

[logansteele1]

11:39 PM on 05/22/2012

Well stated. In many states sex with a child of 12 or less years of age is criminal code offense of child sexual abuse. If a partner is 4 or more years older than a minor partner in many states that is statutory rape. It is not hate to expect that the laws of the land in which you live are obeyed. It is expected of all who reside here...even for visitors. Our many cultures do not negate the law. That is one of the beauties of living here. The law is for everyone.

[Royce09]

03:15 PM on 05/21/2012

Good and bad hate. I hate poverty in America, and hunger, and racism, discrimination of any sort, I hate corruption, crooked politicans and business people. We just need to direct our hatred as a whole toward the right things, plenty out there to hate.

[DeloresLongo]

10:14 PM on 03/05/2013

LaRaza openly admits that it is only for Hispanic people to the detriment of white people.

[Royce09]

09:51 AM on 03/06/2013

wow if that is true that makes them an unfriendly organization toward America as a whole.  They should be treated as such.    No organization should be allowed to operate that has an announced agenda to hurting any race in America, white or otherwise.  Plus the race they are for is fine, but the rest of not.

[Texas rebel]

01:32 PM on 05/21/2012

Hate Groups In The U.S.: Will The Changing Face Of The Nation Spur Hate Group Participation?

This has been going on for a while now. LULAC, La Raza, CAIR, the resurgence of the New Black Panther Party to name a few.

[Frank Bourne]

01:30 PM on 05/21/2012

Most of todays "hate" is directed at whites.

[ExposeNRidRacism]

07:16 PM on 08/07/2012

Really? Is that why the Black so called HATE groups were dismantled and/or destroyed while the White Hate Groups grew by leaps and bounds over the past 40 years? Do you suffer from denial or are you a BIG part of the problem?

THE FBI'S COVERT ACTION PROGRAM TO DESTROY THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY

http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/churchfinalreportIIIc.htm


White Supremacist Threat

http://wst.siteintelgroup.com/

[Mike Q]

11:24 AM on 08/14/2012

Blacks have the biggest legal hate group there is, the naacp. Where is the legal white hate group?

[R clinton]

12:24 PM on 05/21/2012

Its not the hate groups we need to worry about its Americans who know the Browning of America is growing...Quick read....http://buildbackwards.blogspot.com/2012/05/majority-minority-browning-of-america.html

[SuperMex]

11:50 AM on 05/21/2012

Wait a second, wait a second. Good Lord is it my imagination or do we really live in a racist country. Anglos accuse Mexican of being racist, Blacks accuse Whites of being racist, Browns accuse Blacks of being racist, Whites accuse Blacks and Browns accuse Whites of being racist.

Is our Great Nation becoming like my beloved Lone Star State of Texas where "we've" practiced coded racism "by-all" since the 1830/1840's. I believe these codes are part of the Texas DNA and I also believe that through mutation that DNA "gene" is disappearing. Somehow some way we've managed to get along and Browns have turned Texas into an economic powerhouse of success. Yes of course we also have problems.

Would the Texas model of behavior work for our Great Nation. No it would not.

So the sooner we stop hating one another the sooner our Great Nation will begin to prosper again for all.

[Mike Q]

11:30 AM on 08/14/2012

One of the best things that could be done is to stop all of the extra perks some groups get from the government while others pay the price. The next thing is for the government to stay out of it! Quit trying to make one race hire another just because they feel the balance is off. Build your own business and hire who you want. De segragation showed how wrong that was! If people of different races want to live together they can, but most choose not too. I live in San Diego, everyone knows where certain races live and where races tend to live together. It's not racism to want to live with your own kind, it's normal.

[GoProtege]

12:02 AM on 05/21/2012

I tend to think so...A friend of a friend(who is Egyptian) who now in a coma after a sucker punch definitely points to that(but in fairness can't say for sure about the motive yet)

[TeraWatt60]

06:38 PM on 05/20/2012

Of course h8 groups will continue to plague this country but unlike in days gone by when the Klan would drool and foam at the mouth in blatant ra.cist hysteria now the same bunch have mutated into "birthers" and the John Birch Society has renamed itself the "Tea Party" and the White Citizens Councils (Chamber of Commerce version of the Klan) calls themselves the Council of Conservative Citizens. Despite all the rebranding efforts the Conservative movement has kept its stale message basically the same despite the name and appearance changes.

[daringsugar]

05:24 PM on 05/20/2012

Don't know about hate groups on the rise, but hate itself certainly seems to be.

[Von Lmo]

03:34 PM on 05/20/2012

You'll never get the Dept of Homeland security to admit it. Recall a few years ago when they posited the increase in right -wing hate groups due to the emergence of the Tea Party? The Republicans complained & the DHS immediately retracted their statement. In fact the DHS reduced their right-wing terror/militia watch section by 2/3.

Gotta love how Obama is consistently immediately responsive to Republican pressure but he needs to "evolve" when addressing issues important to his "base".