Arkansas Whites-Only Enclave Under Investigation Over Alleged Indoctrination of Homeschooled Children

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has opened a civil-rights and fair-housing investigation into RTTL, a whites-only enclave tucked into the Ozark Mountains near Ravenden, amid concerns that about a dozen homeschooled children are being indoctrinated with extremist ideology rather than receiving a basic education. The probe began in July 2025, and officials say it remains active, according to Griffin's spokesman.

RTTL, also known as Community1 and The Settlement, operates on a 160-acre private compound near Ravenden, a small town along the Missouri border. The group is led by Eric Orwoll, a far-right YouTuber and former porn performer, and Peter Csere, an extremist activist with a past arrest in Ecuador. The enclave bars people of color, Muslims, Jews and others from living on the property, and its leadership envisions it as the first in a broader network of similarly minded communities. Orwoll has defended RTTL as a private, members-only project that operates legally under civil-rights laws because it limits membership to those who meet its criteria. The settlement is branded by proponents as a family-centered project and promotes a white-identitarian ethos that outsiders describe as supremacist.

Campaigners and education advocates say the lack of formal oversight in Arkansas creates a dangerous environment for children. The state’s homeschooling framework requires only notification to the local school district, with no mandatory diploma, no teaching-credential requirements, and no curriculum review. Tess Ulrey, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, said a radically insular setting can foster white-supremacist ideology, promote speculative or distorted sciences, and severely limit a child’s ability to hear diverse viewpoints or form independent beliefs. Advocates argue that this regulatory gap leaves RTTL children vulnerable to manipulation and denies them access to a balanced education. Ulrey urged lawmakers to advance reforms aimed at protecting children's rights and ensuring every child has the opportunity to pursue an open future.

The case has drawn attention to broader questions about homeschooling oversight in the United States. While RTTL has not disclosed what its children study, observers note that materials and practices associated with the group echo broader concerns raised in investigative reports about extremist curricula and coded messaging that can go unchecked in private learning environments. In recent years, researchers and journalists have highlighted networks that distribute racist or antisemitic content to families who homeschool, often leveraging private channels and digital platforms to disseminate harmful materials while presenting an image of parental freedom. The RTTL inquiry is thus being watched as part of a larger debate about safeguarding children within private learning settings.

Evidence cited by investigators and reporters has included material associated with extremist ideologies found within RTTL’s orbit. During a media visit to the site, a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf was observed in Orwoll’s office, fueling concerns about the ideological climate for any children living on the property. Investigators and researchers have also pointed to the broader Dissident Homeschool network, identified in 2023 as distributing racist, antisemitic and homophobic materials to far-right families nationwide. Critics say RTTL’s own communications and practices appear consistent with a strategy of normalizing extremist content under the banner of parental freedom and private association, while attempting to shield itself from civil-rights scrutiny.

The leadership history of RTTL’s principals adds another layer of unease for observers. Orwoll, who built a following through online platforms and then pivoted to a more explicitly white-identitarian message, has publicly linked the project to a broader movement and has appeared at events with other extremist figures, including Nick Fuentes. Csere, who has described himself as part of a nationalist framework, has faced controversy stemming from an Ecuadorian stabbing case in which he was accused of involvement in a dispute with a miner; he has also faced accusations of financial improprieties elsewhere, which he denies. Both men have publicly promoted white supremacist viewpoints, and their presence in a remote enclave has amplified fears about how such ideas could influence children in a closed setting.

Ravenden, Arkansas, the nearest town to RTTL, embodies the isolation that critics say helps shield such projects from outside scrutiny. The town has a population of about 423 people and sits roughly 140 miles north of the state capital, Little Rock, near the Missouri line. The RTTL property is described as remote, with cabins connected by gravel roads and limited access to services, which proponents argue supports a peaceful, family-oriented lifestyle while opponents say it magnifies the potential for unchecked indoctrination.

Arkansas’s homeschooling regime has long been cited by critics as particularly permissive. Because attendance data and curricula are not routinely reviewed, advocates say there is less external accountability for how children spend their learning time. Ulrey noted that the absence of ongoing oversight can allow isolationist communities to operate with minimal transparency, potentially depriving children of exposure to a broad range of viewpoints and skills that would prepare them for participation in a diverse, interconnected society. She called on state lawmakers to consider reforms that would safeguard children while respecting parental rights.

The RTTL case also sits within a wider national conversation about how unchecked homeschooling can interact with political extremism. At least 38 other states have been described as having similarly limited oversight in some respects, raising concerns among educators, civil-rights groups and lawmakers about how to balance parental prerogatives with child welfare. Kieryn Darkwater, a political commentator who has written about the dynamics of cult- or cult-like environments, argued that RTTL mirrors patterns seen in past decades, underscoring the ongoing challenge of ensuring that private educational settings do not become spaces for radicalization.

As the investigation proceeds, RTTL has not provided a public statement or detailed comment to investigators or press inquiries. The Arkansas Department of Education and the attorney general’s office have not disclosed the scope of potential remedies, if any, or whether students have access to alternative schooling options. Supporters of private education in Arkansas emphasize the importance of family autonomy and the ability to shape a child’s values, while critics warn that such autonomy must be tempered by safeguards that protect children from exposure to hate, discrimination and coercive ideologies. The ongoing probe aims to determine whether civil-rights or fair-housing laws were violated and whether state oversight of home education needs to be strengthened to protect vulnerable learners.

The RTTL situation highlights a difficult tension at the heart of debates over education, civil rights and private association in the United States. Even as some communities celebrate the ideals of parental control and religious or cultural freedom, others warn that private enclaves with exclusionary policies can undermine fundamental rights and put children at risk. The investigation into RTTL will likely inform future discussions among policymakers, advocates and the public about how to strike a balance between protecting children and preserving family and community autonomy, while ensuring that education remains a pathway to opportunity rather than a tool for indoctrination.