skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Bigotry in Montana: Hate Groups Not Just a Problem for the South

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 22, 2017   

HELENA, Mont. – The white supremacist rally in Charlottesville has put the country on high alert for hate groups, and the Southern Poverty Law Center says they aren't just a problem in the southern U.S.

Research from the center has found Montana has the highest concentration of hate groups for its population in the country, with ten considered 'active' statewide.

Rachel Carroll Rivas, co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, says events like the Charlottesville protests can increase membership for extremist groups, but her organization focuses on stopping people before they join.

"Our work is really with our friends, and neighbors and family, who are maybe unengaged or maybe they're somewhat sympathetic but are probably not necessarily deep into activists as white supremacists," she explains.

Rivas says while the rally in Virginia might inspire white supremacists, events like this usually have the opposite effect - prompting people to speak out against racism as well.

To combat the threat of increasing hate crimes, the Human Rights Network has a rapid-response guide on its website at mhrn.org.

Rivas says another danger after Charlottesville is bringing fringe ideas into the political mainstream, and that people should pay close attention to reactions from politicians.

"We need to make sure that our leaders, our elected officials, are not emboldening the white supremacists and far-right patriot movements with their ideas; and then also that they're not supporting them in ways that maybe don't seem as obvious, through discriminatory policies," she adds.

It might be tempting to meet hate groups on the streets - like the violent clashes between protestors and counter-protestors seen in recent weeks - but Rivas calls that counterproductive.

"We need to not do it on their terms," she says. "We need to sort of switch it - be clear about what it is, but then go forward with actually what we would like our community to look like."


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021