Report finds North Texas is home to a lot of hate groups
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Texas has the third highest number of hate and anti-government groups in the nation, according to a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
- Only California and Florida have more hate groups counted by the nonprofit.
Why it matters: The number of hate groups fell in Texas and nationally in 2021 for the third year in a row, but more extremist organizations have moved online, according to the report.
- North Texas also played an outsized role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. More than 60 Texans are among those facing federal charges in connection with the Capitol breach, according to the Department of Justice.
Details: Texas is home to 52 organizations the nonprofit has designated as hate groups, including the white nationalist Patriot Front and several chapters of the Proud Boys.
- North Texas is home to about a dozen such groups, including Plano’s Probe Ministries, which the SPLC defines as an anti-LGBTQ organization.
Flashback: In 2015, Texas had 84 hate groups, the highest number in the country.
Yes, but: The report says while the overall number of hate organizations declined last year, some experienced "rapid growth."
- The Proud Boys had 72 active chapters last year, compared to 43 the year before. The organization has chapters in Dallas, Austin and Houston.
What they're saying: The "reactionary and racist beliefs that propelled a mob into the Capitol” have become a powerful political movement, the center says.
- "In the year since the insurrection, this hard-right movement ... has worked feverishly to undermine democracy, with real-world consequences for the people and groups they target," the report says, pointing to book bans and legislation focused on LGBTQ youth and voting restrictions.