A new community in Arkansas’ hills uncovered the appalling comeback of American far-right, segregationist culture. “Return to the Land” (RTTL), established in 2023, actively excludes Jews, Muslims, people of colour, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people. Members of the group are constructing cabins and houses on 160 acres of private property close to Ravenden, all under the pretext of preserving white Christian identity.
With public pronouncements of racial purity, Nazi-coded slogans, and loopholes in the law to circumvent the Fair Housing Act, RTTL is not a niche endeavour. It is a warning sign: segregation is no longer hidden behind closed doors—it is remaking itself, one white-only town at a time.
Self-Proclaimed Whites-Only Community
RTTL founders Eric Orwoll and Peter Csere say they are constructing a “fortress for the white race.” They screen applicants via video calls, looking for “European ancestry.” The community disavows interracial unions, multiculturalism, and immigration.
Residents cannot be non-white, non-Christian (except pagans), Jewish, Muslim, or queer. RTTL has no apology for these requirements. On its Telegram channel, members share “1488”—a recognizable white supremacist allusion to Hitler and the “14 words” slogan. Orwell told Sky News that the movement is looking for a “second coming” of Hitler-style leadership.
Old Segregation, New Wrapping
RTTL is not hiding behind words. Handwritten signs demarcate its borders: “White People Only.” Roads, fences, wells, cabins, and a schoolhouse already exist. Members of the community cook communally and live off-grid, selling it as a return to “simpler” white American life.
This is not an isolated incident. RTTL is only the start, claim its founders. They are set to construct three more of the like communities around the US. The project markets itself as a blueprint for a future white homeland, not only in Arkansas but across the country.
Avoiding the Law—But for How Long?
RTTL asserts its legal status insulates it. Members purchase land as LLC shares in a Private Members Association (PMA). Orwoll and Csere feel this insulates them from the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
Civil rights organizations strongly oppose it. The NAACP has called the project a danger to democracy. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has initiated an examination. “Racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society,” he stated.
According to Sky News, there are possibilities that some of the members of RTTL are current police officers or federal agents. This raises more concerns regarding the dissemination of these ideologies.
Segregation Repackaged for 2025
The rise of RTTL is not just about racism—it’s about power. This community shows how far-right movements are retreating from a diverse society and attempting to build exclusionary bubbles of white purity.
It reflects America’s darkest past: the Jim Crow South, sundown towns, and the days of legal segregation. What is appalling is that in 2025, it’s not a secret militia camp. It’s a colony with a website, a Telegram channel, membership charges, and a public purpose to rebuild racial purity.
The query isn’t if RTTL is legal. The query is how America will react to the rebirth of segregation in the guise of the rhetoric of community, identity, and freedom.
