Return to the Land — which has a settlement project in Arkansas that The New York Times reported is “strictly for white, heterosexual people” and has “about 40 residents” that the co-founders had to “personally confirm” were white before they were “welcomed in” — reportedly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, wants to expand into Missouri, and is “currently in the initial planning process” for more community developments in the Ozarks region, Deep South, Appalachia, and the Pacific Northwest.
Since June, the group and its settlement has gotten media coverage from other outlets like The Forward, Sky News, The Hill, WIRED, and TMZ. These outlets have noted that the organization is “one of the most established white supremacist residential communities in the United States today” and reported that legal experts suggested the settlement project would likely violate federal fair housing and anti-discrimination laws.
In response to media coverage, lawmakers and elected officials in both Arkansas and Missouri have condemned the community, with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin telling outlets that “racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society. These allegations raise all sorts of legal issues, including constitutional concerns,” adding that his office was “reviewing the matter.” However, Griffin’s spokesperson later told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that a preliminary review of the community had not found evidence that the group had broken the law.
Great Job Media Matters for America & the Team @ Media Matters for America Source link for sharing this story.
