With the white nationalist group Patriot Front, what you see is not what you get

National With the white nationalist group Patriot Front, what you see is not what you get July 11, 20265:00 AM ET Odette Yousef Members of the group Patriot Front ride the subway as a commuter looks on, in Washington, D.C., on July 4. Cheney Orr/Reuters hide caption toggle caption Cheney Orr/Reuters The sight of hundreds of masked men roaming the streets of Washington, D.C., on July Fourth weekend, wearing khakis, blue shirts and uniform patches, was chilling to some of the city's residents. For many Americans, it was the first they heard about Patriot Front, a white nationalist organization that was born out of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. A now-viral Reuters photo prompted reflections on the experience of a lone African American woman who was photographed in a Metro subway car, surrounded by white supremacists. The planned demonstration of force was timed to bring a fringe group of extremists into public view as the nation marked 250 years of its independence. Indeed, the stunt succeeded in earning the group media coverage across mainstream outlets, amplifying its brand and potential to reach new recruits. On this occasion, the members refrained from engaging in violence and property damage, projecting an image of law-abiding, orderly activism. Sponsor Message But those who are closely familiar with Patriot Front's history and operations warn: Don't believe what you see. "That is not who they are in private," said Len Kamdang, director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "Although they were on their best behavior [last] weekend, this is a dangerous group that commits acts of violence all over the country." Patriot Front's history of violence and property damage Kamdang's organization sued members of Patriot Front for vandalizing a public mural dedicated to the tennis legend and Black activist Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Va., in 2021. Ashe, who was inducted into the International Tennis...