Former White Nationalist To Speak At Beachwood Event

BEACHWOOD, OH — Tony McAleer, the co-founder and executive director an organization that helps rehabilitate former members of the American violent far-right extremist movement, will lead a discussion Nov. 15 in Beachwood. The free discussion with McAleer will be held at Temple-Tilfereth Israel, 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood at 7:30 p.m. It's a timely talk for Ohio and the nation.

Over the past two years, the number of active hate groups in the U.S. has increased, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Nationally, there are now 917 active hate groups. In Ohio alone, there are 35 active hate groups.

The Buckeye State has the eighth most hate groups in the nation, according to a SPLC's Feb. 2017 report. "Trump's run for office electrified the radical right, which saw in him a champion of the idea that America is fundamentally a white man's country," Southern Poverty Law Center officials wrote at the time.

In Ohio, the majority of hate groups are either KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists, or Skinheads.

McAleer will talk about his own background and the work his group does to help white supremacists escape their lives of bigotry and hate. McAleer was, at one point, an organizer for the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), a skinhead recruiter, the proprietor of Canadian Liberty Net, a computer operated voice messaging system that spreads messages of hate, and manager of the racist rock band Odin's Law.

McAleer says it was love that pulled him out of the white supremacist movement, love for his children. He now travels the world working as an inspirational speaker.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland says that approximately two-thirds of hate crimes in America target Jewish Americans, according to the FBI. The Federation is sponsoring McAleer's talk and say its part of the organization's 2018 priority of Speaking Out for What's Right.

Here are the 10 states with the most hate groups:

1. California - 79
2. Florida - 63
3. Texas - 55
4. New York - 47
5. Pennsylvania - 40
6. Virginia - 39
7. Tennessee - 39
8. Ohio - 35
9. Georgia - 32
10. Illinois - 32

Photo by Emily Molli/NurPhoto via Getty Images