There are three active white supremacist groups in San Francisco, according to District Attorney George Gascón, and their headquarters are in a perhaps-unlikely neighborhood.
The Tenderloin is the hub of skinhead activity in San Francisco, said Gascón, whose office successfully prosecuted two white men for a Nov. 2010 beating of two Hispanic men outside of an O'Farrell Street bar, according to the San Francisco Appeal online newspaper.
Jurors rejected the hate crime enhancements, but the men, who witnesses said yelled "White power" while adminstering the beating, are part of a larger movement, Gascón said.
When investigators looked into the backgrounds of convicted assailants Robert Allen, 39, and Justin Meskan, 29, they found Hitler pictures, swastikas and other white supremacist-themed imagery on Allen's laptop in his Tenderloin apartment, the newspaper reported.
That's where at least one of the three active white supremacist groups in San Francisco is centered, according to Gascón.
"It's a tremendous cause for concern," he said. "If we do not remain vigilant ... these activities are likely to increase."
A third suspect in the beating copped to a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence, in return for describing the skinhead network to prosecutors, according to the district attorney.
