The Southern Poverty Law Center reports a surge in what it calls "hate groups". According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 19 active groups in Oklahoma, including the Ku Klux Klan. FOX23's Emily Sinovic found out there is an active KKK chapter in Tulsa. Members are actively recruiting other members, and the leader of the chapter tells Emily it's working. New members are joining all the time.
During the middle of the night, members of the United White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan drove through a Tulsa neighborhood, dropping off fliers in neighbors' front yards. The front page message says, "Take a Stand and Join the Klan".
In 2001, according to the SPLC, there were two active KKK groups in Oklahoma, right now, the SPLC reports there are seven active chapters of the KKK.
To find out why there has been a surge in membership and who is joining, Emily interviewed the Tulsa chapter leader at the home where the group meets in Tulsa. Inside that room, there was a Confederate flag hanging on the wall, framed photos of cross burnings, and hoods with capes hung in the corner.
The KKK chapter leader did not want to use his real name and asked that we refer to him as "Tinker".
Emily asked Tinker how he got involved with the Klan. He answered, "It's just something I wanted to do for a long time. I studied it on my own with internet, books, whatever I could read or see."
He and the other two members who were in the room during the interview did not want to show their faces. Tinker says they are afraid of people who "misunderstand" the klan.
