Tiny North Dakota town fights against neo-Nazi takeover
Members of the National Socialist Movement say they plan to descend on the tiny town of Leith, North Dakota on Sunday in a show of support for one man who wants to turn the town into a white supremacist enclave.
The residents of Leith, North Dakota, population 24, are bracing themselves for an influx of white supremacists who plan to descend on the tiny town this weekend in a show of support for one man who plans to turn it into a neo-Nazi enclave.
It all started two years ago when Paul Craig Cobb, a self-described white supremacist, started quietly buying up property in town.
He bought 12 plots for as little as $500 each and has plans to turn the quiet town into a white supremacist paradise.
Cobb, 61, told CNN he envisions the new Leith as a place where white nationalist banners will be flown, where white culture would be celebrated and minorities would be excluded.
"I don't understand why all the different other people don't say 'whitey' is pretty darn nice and clever," Cobb told CNN.
"There are many organizations (in) which whites have to support other cultures… Where is the organization of people from around the world that says let's keep these white people?… They're pretty darn good, all in all."
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, confirmed last month that Cobb is a white supremacist and is wanted in Canada for promoting hatred.
White supremacist groups from around the country said they plan to visit Leith this weekend in a show of support for Cobb.
Jeff Schoep, commander of the American National Socialist Movement, said he plans to travel from Detroit to hold a town-hall meeting and press conference on Sunday afternoon.
The town mayor, Ryan Schock, told the Guardian that the groups were very unwelcome and that "people are very concerned. They do not want people to come to this town who have hate in them."
Cobb's plans were revealed in a series of articles by the Bismark Tribune newspaper.
Lee Cook, a Leith City Council member, said he has set up a legal defense fund to help stop the white supremacists from taking over the town.
"We need people from across the state to come alongside of us and show support that they don’t believe in what this guy is doing," Cook said.
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