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Report: Michigan a hotbed of militia, hate groups
September 18, 1997
Web posted at: 10:22 p.m. EDT (0222 GMT)From Detroit Bureau Chief Ed Garsten
OVID, Michigan (CNN) -- Michigan, the longtime home of accused Oklahoma City bombing suspect Terry Nichols, is a hotbed for anti-government and extremist organizations, according to a report by an organization that monitors such groups.
According to Klanwatch, 56 so-called "patriot" groups, which include armed militia organizations, and 13 "hate" groups, which include neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, are based in Michigan, tying California in the number of such groups within its borders.
The report also takes a look at some newer anti-government groups. Among their number is the Michigan Property Owners Association, which tells people to keep the government off of their land and out of their lives, and Justice Pro Se, which uses the Internet and radio to help spread its message.
The report tries to explain the origins of Nichols' anti-government beliefs, mentioning a 1993 court appearance where the bombing suspect challenged a judge's jurisdiction -- by refusing to step up to a microphone when addressing the court.
According to the report, the seeds of anti-government activity were sown in the late 1970s and early 1980s here on the hardscrabble farmlands of Michigan, where a combination of a bad economy and bad weather sent many farmers into bankruptcy.
When they lost their farms, many blamed the federal government. The Nichols family was forced to sell encyclopedias.
But according to the Anti-Defamation League, publicity generated by the Oklahoma City bombing cut the membership roles of anti-government and hate groups.
"But it has stabilized and remains constant among the group of hard-core folks," says Donald Cohen of the Anti-Defamation League.
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