This is the first in a five-part series published by our public media partneras at Fronteras. Listen to the accompanying radio piece.
By Jude Joffe-Block
PHOENIX — Gilbert, Ariz. is a bedroom community outside of Phoenix that has seen explosive population growth in recent decades. As it grew from a small, conservative farming town into a more diverse community, some notable tensions arose.
“In 1993, our detectives started to identify in the town of Gilbert a gang that called themselves White Power,” said police spokesman Sergeant Bill Balafas.
Six years later, a spin-off gang called the Devil Dogs emerged among football players at Highland High School.
Blog
July 24, 2012 - 2:42pm
July 24, 2012 - 11:18am
My name is Eran Thompson; I serve as Board Chairman for Not In Our Town Billings. The story of my community's stand against hate was the spark for the worldwide movement that is Not In Our Town.
NIOT.org's contribution to this movement: documenting the stories, creating videos that tell the stories, discussion guides, blog posts, etc. have become an invaluable asset in my organization's work to create a safe, inclusive community.
Last month, I visited the Not In Our Town offices in Oakland. We talked at length about how to expand the Not In Our Town Network and movement. As a leader of one of the NIOT communities, I pledged the following:
July 23, 2012 - 9:53am
Tune into this original Not In Our Town programming from our public media partners at Fronteras.
We asked you this question in October 2011: Does your community make you feel safe and included, or scared and marginalized?
The Fronteras: Changing America Desk has joined forces with Not in Our Town documentary producers to determine how hate affects communities throughout the Southwest and what people like you are doing about it.
July 19, 2012 - 1:47pm
Today we would like to share with you a note from one of our monthly donors. Kathryn is a retired teacher from Oregon, and she has been sending us a monthly donation since October 2011. Inside this colorful card, Kathryn addresses Not In Our Town Executive Producer Patrice O'Neill and our team.
We are so grateful to all of our supporters for helping to make this work possible. We invite you to join Kathryn and our other regular donors by making a monthly contribution to Not In Our Town.
Dear Patrice and the rest of the Working Group,
July 19, 2012 - 12:00pm
Catherine Jo of Salem, Oregon sent us this handwritten note along with her donation. Catherine Jo, like Katie from Glencoe, IL, raised money for Not In Our Town by selling hand-made goods and donating her profits.
Catherine Jo's message of joining together to "build a solid steel fight" against hate and intolerance has inspired us for years. If you also find Catherine Jo's words inspiring, we invite you to join in her footsteps and donate to Not In Our Town.