For people like Mike Hallimore, leader of Kingdom Identity Ministries, another Harrison-based group on the list, the recognition is welcome. “Harrison has the image that it’s a white-racist town, and I’m glad the town has that image,” he says. “It probably prevents some of the nonwhites from settling here.”

But for many others, that distinction is an embarrassment — and something they’re hoping to change. Today, the number of Harrison residents who subscribe to hateful viewpoints seems to have dwindled, but the perception of the town as a major racist enclave persists. And in the 11 years since the task force was created, the town’s residents have yet to fully embrace it. Coverage of the group by local media and by white-supremacists outlets is often met with online comments questioning its credibility and denigrating its members.

Residents disagree on whether the town has a race problem, an image problem or both. Many say the town of today is being unfairly blamed for events of a century ago, when white mobs allegedly chased out black residents in the first decade of the 20th century. Today, Harrison has about 70 African-American residents, who make up 0.5 percent of the population (a share that’s consistent with those of nearby towns). Some say that the hate groups’ push to paint the town as a friendlier place for white nationalists than nonwhites contradicts their own experiences — and that Harrison’s reputation is worse than reality.

“People don’t want to stay here. People don’t want to come here, because we have a reputation,” says Layne Ragsdale, one of the more vocal members of the task force. “You can see our future being taken away.”

For people like Mike Hallimore, leader of Kingdom Identity Ministries, another Harrison-based group on the list, the recognition is welcome. “Harrison has the image that it’s a white-racist town, and I’m glad the town has that image,” he says. “It probably prevents some of the nonwhites from settling here.” But for many others, that distinction is an embarrassment — and something they’re hoping to change. Today, the number of Harrison residents who subscribe to hateful viewpoints seems to have dwindled, but the perception of the town as a major racist enclave persists. And in the 11 years since the task force was created, the town’s residents have yet to fully embrace it. Coverage of the group by local media and bywhite-supremacists outlets is often met with online comments questioning its credibility and denigrating its members. Residents disagree on whether the town has a race problem, an image problem or both. Many say the town of today is being unfairly blamed for events of a century ago, when white mobs allegedly chased out black residents in the first decade of the 20th century. Today, Harrison has about 70 African-American residents, who make up 0.5 percent of the population (a share that’s consistent with those of nearby towns). Some say that the hate groups’ push to paint the town as a friendlier place for white nationalists than nonwhites contradicts their own experiences — and that Harrison’s reputation is worse than reality. “People don’t want to stay here. People don’t want to come here, because we have a reputation,” says Layne Ragsdale, one of the more vocal members of the task force. “You can see our future being taken away.”