One of the internet's oldest white supremacist websites is running out of money.
Stormfront founder and former Ku Klux Klan member Don Black announced April 3 that he would have to resist access to users that contribute $5 or more month, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. These "sustaining members" will keep the site afloat, however, the site's main server has been archived as of Friday.
“I appreciate everybody’s support,” Black wrote. “But it’s that time of month again, when the big, scary bills hit. Our contributions have once again totaled less than $2,000, which is not enough to cover our basic server and radio bills, and this month we no longer have enough personal money to make up the difference.”
The site was founded in 1995 after Black learned some basic computer programming while serving a 3-year federal prison sentence for attempting to overthrow the government of Dominica with other white supremacists in 1981.
Reports claim that Black's wife, Chloe, has been paying most of the site's expenses in the past. A thread from a user named Ruthless wrote that his wife had to work well past retirement to help keep the site alive. Although, these claims have not been confirmed by Black.
“Don Black’s wife, Chloe, had been working full time past retirement age to help support this site,” “Ruthless” wrote on the thread discussing the temporary restrictions on April 4. “All of the years that Don posted how much was needed to run this site and all the months that SF didn’t receive enough donations. That difference was made up from Chloe Black’s income.”
The site's "financial crisis" has come as a surprise to some. The Daily Intelligencer notes Black added new servers in 2015 to accommodate the influx of traffic because of interest stemming from the rise of Donald Trump.
Stormfront's popularity has since declined because of more racist sites swimming in its wake, which have attracted a younger audience attached to the "alt-right."