The number of hate groups across the country went up 54 percent since 2000, two of which are in Mesa, according to statistics released in a quarterly report Thursday by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit headquartered in Alabama that regularly tracks such groups.

The Mesa groups mentioned are the Nationalist Coalition, identified as a neo-Nazi group, as well as the Vinlanders Social Club, identified as a racist skinhead group. There are 19 groups spread across Arizona. Another East Valley group – the National Socialist Movement – is in Apache Junction, the report states.

According to the law center, the rise in such groups can be attributed in large part to anti-minority and anti-immigration sentiment, combined with the recent faltering economy. One more factor: Barack Obama’s successful bid to become the first black president of the country.

Who did not see this coming?  And it will need to be watched closely.