When the crab and shrimp industry along the Texas Gulf Coast began to falter in the late 1970s, it was clear environmental concerns were at least partly to blame.
But the white members of the fishing community decided to Klan up and blame the recently arrived Vietnamese refugees instead. Klan rallies and violence between the groups marred the years that followed, a story told by Kirk Wallace Johnson in the book The Fishermen and the Dragon: Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast.
Johnson, who joined us in 2018 to talk about The Feather Thief, tells the story of confrontation, escalation, and eventual resolution on a return visit to the JX.