White supremacist groups have won scores of lawsuits on First Amendment grounds against communities that attempted to block their public events. Ultimately, the event will be held anyway, and the furor surrounding attempts to stop it will only gain more publicity for the hate group 4. When hate crimes occur, citizens should consider buying an advertisement in the local newspaper. The ad should emphasize unity and support for the crime victim as well as the target group to which the victim belongs. It should also convey the message that hate crimes will not be tolerated in the community.
Newspaper ads can also counter the publicity that hate groups attract.
These ads should denounce the organization's bigoted views and should run on or before the day of the white supremacist event. Another way to effectively oppose hate groups and hate crime is to form a citizens' anti-racism group. The organization should be composed of people from every race, religion, and culture in the community, including gays and lesbians, who are frequent targets of hate crime and hate groups. The group should stress cooperation and harmony and discourage confrontational tactics. Some anti-racism groups, formed in response to a particular racial incident, hate crime or hate group, have found ways to sustain their sense of unity and purpose indefinitely.