Hate in America

In the first episode of HATE IN AMERICA, Harris explores some of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s most riveting court cases, starting with the Michael Donald case – a heinous lynching of a young man in the early 1980s that prompted SPLC founder Morris Dees to sue the United Klans of America (UKA) on behalf of the victim’s mother. In this landmark court decision, the UKA’s violent leadership was held responsible for the unspeakably violent and racist acts of its members, helping to turn the tide against organized hate in our country. Harris also digs deep into the deeds of notorious white supremacist murderer Glenn Miller, who most recently made headlines when he went on a shooting spree at a Kansas Jewish Community Center in April 2014.

Flathead Valley, Montana. Sitting just outside Glacier National Park, this secluded corner of the nation is dotted with snow-capped peaks and striking vistas. But over the last decade, this idyllic setting has become home to an increasing number of white supremacists and anti-government radicals. Some of them envision the creation of an all-white homeland in this remote area, while others see it as a modern-day Alamo where they can escape from the invasive reach of the government. Harris travels to Montana to see for himself what is happening in Flathead Valley, and how communities are reacting to this convergence of extremists in their own backyards.

In this episode of HATE IN AMERICA, Harris investigates the rise of the lone wolf, revealing startling information about the dramatic increase of this deadly threat. Over the last six years alone, there have been more than 60 incidents of domestic terrorism planned by “lone wolf” attackers or pairs. That averages out to one incident every 34 days. Harris travels the country to investigate three distinct lone wolf attacks, delving into the psychology of the twisted minds of the shooters, including an anti-Semitic attack at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009, the ambush of two police officers and a bystander by anti-government extremists in Las Vegas in 2014, and the 2015 massacre by a white supremacist at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.