[lbo-talk] Tampa Bay: hotbed of hate groups

[jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net]

> I just heard on WMNF.org that PIE-nellas county has the most hate groups in 
> FL. FL has, for its population, the most hate groups, according to this map 
> of 2001.
> 
> http://www.tolerance.org/maps/hate/index.html
> 
> This particular map doesn't explain how PIEnellas co. has the most hate 
> groups, so I don't know where this caller got the info.
> 
> I'm wondering if Chip has more info. Also, I'd characterize this county has 
> pretty PMC -- by contrast to, say, Lakeland and Central FL. Indeed, people 
> on the coast tend to characterize themselves as progressives by comparison 
> to the "rednecks" who, ostensibly, live in C. Florida -- the Bible Best 
> runs mostly in C. FL.
> 
> k

Any explanations for why they locate where they do?

Why are St. Louis and Springfield home to more than KC?

Why the high number of Neo-Nazi groups in middle and upper 
Michigan?

Why more in Cincinnati than Indianapolis which has a Klan monument in 
the center of town?

Why are Kentucky and Indiana lower than the states that surround 
them? Same for New Mexico.

Obviously population has something to do with it but there are obviously 
other factors are at work. Is there a common thread that has been 
identified? This might go some way towards helping communities avoid 
the formation of influx of such groups? I didn't see any information like 
this on the SPLC site.

Aren't a great many of the coastal Florida residents transplants from 
elsewhere? When I go to Englewood Beach and Gasparilla Island it 
seems almost everyone there is from the Northeast. Insland at Acadia I 
meet lots more lifelong FL residents.

John Thornton