White power recruiting increases: Billboard battle sparks interest

March 7, 2006

Two white supremacist groups have stepped up recruitment efforts in Nevada, starting chapters in the wake of the National Alliance's high-profile battle over an anti-immigration billboard last year.

Cynthia Luria, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the emergence of the pro-Nazi National Socialist Movement and a group called the Southern Nevada Skinheads is tied to the popularity of the National Alliance.

"That billboard has become an icon in the white power movement," said Luria, who added that the Las Vegas Valley's reputation as a "tolerant" area is inviting to white power groups.

Until recently, the only organized white separatist group in Southern Nevada was the National Alliance, according to Metro Police.

The Southern Nevada Skinheads, which formed last fall, has organized a few events in Las Vegas, including passing out fliers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the group's Web site.