Hate Groups Still Love North Idaho

It’s been more than a week since 31 men from the white supremacist group Patriot Front were arrested and charged with conspiring to riot in Coeur d’Alene. Most of them travelled from other states to potentially violently attack locals celebrating Pride — in broad daylight. Police stopped the U-Haul truck carrying them just blocks away from the public park where LGBTQ families and allies were gathered to celebrate community. 

To try and understand why this happened — and why it could happen again — host Frankie Barnhill talks with journalist and Extremely American podcast host Heath Druzin.

We know today’s episode is a downer and we’re looking for ways to stand up for our gay and trans neighbors in particular. But we’re not starting from scratch here — Idaho has defeated bigotry before. The Idaho Press put out a great feature that reminds us how we kicked out the Aryan Nations about 20 years ago, when political leaders crossed the aisle to stand against hate in our home. Our own history can teach us a lot right now. 

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