My Strange Morning With a Neo-Nazi - And Four Action Steps For You
When a neo-Nazi wants to take a selfie with me, I know my work has captured the attention of the extremists I am trying to expose. Now, I'm asking for you to join my efforts.
Hate Comes to Main Street has become a demanding passion project (I don’t do anything halfway). More than ever, I feel an urgency to sound the alarm about the hate and anti-democratic extremism that has infected our local communities, making its way from Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Now, I need your help to take this project to the next level.
More on that personal request in a moment, but let me first begin with a strange story from my journey this past week.
Louis Dunn, aka “Buck Fiden,” is a 44-year-old, avowed neo-Nazi from El Mirage, Arizona and part of the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL). In July 2024, that group created havoc on the streets of Nashville for 10 days or so with members of the Hitler-loving gang becoming involved in two violent attacks.
Dunn was back in Nashville for a hearing on a couple of longshot motions to try to disqualify the district attorneys who are prosecuting him for his involvement in the assault on a young Jewish man in a downtown parking lot.
On the stand, Dunn unapologetically admitted to being a neo-Nazi who has a problem with Jewish people, and he grinned from ear-to-ear as his attorney showed a video of his group shouting vile slurs during their Nashville visit.
“Did you see his face?” an appalled woman in the courtroom later asked me.
Dunn’s odd defense appears to be that his assault, which was captured on video, was quick. He slammed the victim into the side of his truck, then let him go.
At the end of the brief hearing, there was no big news. Unsurprisingly, Criminal Court Judge Cynthia Chappell rejected the motion to disqualify the prosecutors.
Then, the neo-Nazi decided to chase me down the hall of the courthouse.
“Hey, Phil, let me get a selfie,” he called out as he held out his mobile phone, jogging probably faster than he has jogged in years.
“Sorry, I don’t do selfies with neo-Nazis,” I replied, as he snapped a pic on the run.
He gloated, “I got one anyway!”
That episode reflects the strange world into which I entered with this project.
GDL founder Jon Minadeo has repeatedly mocked me in the vilest terms on his Hitler-saluting podcast. Thomas Rousseau, head of the white nationalist Patriot Front, knows me by name, as does Robert Rundo, the self-described fascist behind the neo-Nazi Active Club movement.
When the white nationalists and neo-Nazis are paying attention to my work, I have to believe I’m doing something right.
Here are four things you can do to join me in this effort:
1. Convince three friends (more if you can) to subscribe to Hate Comes to Main Street
Does that sound like a realistic goal?
Obviously, there’s a lot happening in the world today. Thousands of content creators like myself are competing for your attention. As a result, I still run into people who support my work but do not know about Hate Comes to Main Street.
In this case, I am trying to deliver a product that is unique, that speaks to the challenging times in which we now live.
Repeatedly, I hear from readers that, prior to seeing a post here, they were not aware of various aspects of the belief systems of the white supremacists, Christian nationalists, and QAnon conspiracy theorists I cover.
For example, my reporting here has:
Revealed how white nationalist groups in America were taking notes from the race riots in Belfast to study how they too could one day avoid detection by law enforcement. This is something police need to know.
Shined a light on the anti-democratic ambitions of Christian nationalists who want to destroy democracy, as well as the misogyny behind their often-repeated desires to take away the rights of women to vote.
Challenged a Christian nationalist candidate for governor on his beliefs, revealing his desire to outlaw Islam and Hinduism, as well as his intention to prevent rape victims from receiving the morning-after pill.
Explored associations between KKK-loving figures and forces who are trying to push the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, farther to the right.
Reviewed what I believed to be a botched effort by 60 Minutes to report on fascist groups gaining popularity into America, inadvertently boosting the groups’ carefully crafted efforts to reinvent themselves for the public.
Critiqued the provably false claims by the Trump administration about its indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. I am committed to continuing to follow the developments there.
Through Hate Comes to Main Street, I have been honest with you about the personal costs of doing this work.
Yet, I have also tried to highlight reasons for hope , suggest books that I find meaningful, and bring you fascinating conversations (like the one below).
You can:
Share Hate Comes to Main Street on your social media,
Text your like-minded friends, or
Just talk it up over drinks or cups of coffee.
2. Consider becoming a paid subscriber
Given a choice between becoming a PAID subscriber or a FREE subscriber, it probably comes as no surprise that almost everyone chooses the free option.
And that is great! I believe this information is so critical for American democracy that I want to be able to continue to deliver it at no cost.
Paid subscribers do get to comment on my posts.
Still,, few care enough about being able to comment directly on my pages to pull out the credit card—because there are other ways to interact with me for free.
But Hate Comes to Main Street is a completely independent project that I finance out of my own pocket.
My employer, Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, is supportive of my efforts, but that does not include financial support. My costs include podcasting software, website services, books, and other research materials, as well as engaging a social media consultant and obtaining media insurance.
There are limits to how much I can continue to do this work without more buy-in from the audience I am trying to reach.
So, I have an offer for you:
Right now, it is $8 a month to subscribe to Hate Comes to Main Street, or you can show your support for $80 per year. That’s a 17% discount.
But, for the month of July only, I am offering ***an additional 10% discount*** for those who want to join my efforts with an annual subscription.
That’s less than 20 cents a day!
3. Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Because I am so passionate about this work, I want to reach the audience wherever it is. So, I have also created a YouTube channel and am posting my Hate Comes to Main Street conversations there.
That’s where you can also help.
Please go to my YouTube page and subscribe right now. It would also help feed the algorithm if you would watch the videos, like them, comment, and share.
4. And, finally, give me your advice on branding
Hate Comes to Main Street is the title I chose when I launched this platform because it reflected my focus on how hate and political extremism have infected the places we call home. In addition, it was the title we used to capture the essence of my first year of work on this topic for NewsChannel 5.
In my mind, it has a certain punch to it; yet, for some, it may be too much of a downer—in a time when there is plenty to be depressed about.
Recently, I purchased another domain that approaches the topic from a more positive, solutions-oriented perspective: ConfrontTheHate.com.
Here are the options:
Stick with Hate Comes to Main Street. Maybe you believe it is already a sufficiently established brand with a strong sense of focus.
Rebrand as Confront the Hate. Perhaps you think it offers readers more motivation to subscribe because they are part of the solution.
That’s where you also come in!
What do you think?
Hate Comes to Main Street?
Or, Confront the Hate?
Paid subscribers can comment below. I would really like to hear your opinions as consumers of this content.
Which option do you favor, and why?
Taking a brief break…
I am taking a 10-day or so hiatus from Hate Comes to Main Street for the holiday to decompress, focusing on family and self-care. You may see some automated posts from me, but I will not be directly engaging with readers on a regular basis.
I have MORE BIG STORIES and an INCREDIBLE INTERVIEW that are in their final stages and ready to post soon after I return.
But, leaning into what I think is an apt analogy, this work is a marathon, not a sprint.
And, as always, thanks for your support!
We’re in this together!
I like Confront The Hate. I must admit to skipping some stories because the world is so bleak and frightening right now. Sometimes I just can't.
In addition to sharing your important work, I would love to have real world ideas on how to respond to all this as a concerned, but exhausted citizen.
Confront the hate! Thank
You for your fearless reporting and actions! You are example of what makes
The USA great.