WASHINGTON�As the year 2000 and the New Millennium approaches, attitudes and emotions run the gamut from joy and glee to a sense of dread and doom.

While much of the focus for January 1, 2000 centers on fixing the Y2K bug to prevent computer-dependent systems from crashing, e.g. banks, utilities, government, business, health services and the like�many are working on other agendas, which could prove dangerous to the Black community, some fear.

The FBI has warned police chiefs around the country of real and potential threats to national security from "extremist" individuals and groups. The FBI says it has evidence of religious and racist cults, and others collecting weapons and planning violent or criminal acts on New Year�s Eve.

An FBI report dubbed "Project Megiddo"�named after the "hill of Megiddo" located in Israel and meaning "Armageddon" in Hebrew�is a 34-page document prepared by the domestic terrorism unit over a nine-month period and is based on intelligence gathered by field agents.

According to the FBI, the report is "intended to analyze the potential for extremist criminal activity in the U.S. by individuals or domestic extremist groups who profess an apocalyptic view of the millennium or attach special significance to the year 2000."

Some of those named in the report are the Aryan Nation, practitioners of Odinism, Christian Identity groups, and even the Black Hebrew Israelites. The report warns that new groups posing a threat to the government or citizens could form as the new year draws near.

Some potential targets cited in the report are Black and Jewish communities and their institutions, gays, military installations, and the United Nations.

"I�m not overly concerned about the threat of violence from hate groups. I believe that would cause a backlash from the community at large, similar to the response when the KKK comes into an area. American racism is primarily subtle and systemic. What I am concerned about is the potential for law enforcement to see us (Blacks) as a threat to public safety," observed Edythe F. Hall, an NAACP national board member.

"There is a cultural attitude, an idea that we (Blacks) have a propensity for violence and this attitude is very prominent in the police culture. This sets us up for trouble," she continued.

Dr. Tyrone Powers, director of the Institute for Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement and Legal Studies at Anne Arundel Community College in Annapolis, Md., is a former FBI special agent with nine-years of experience in the areas of foreign counter intelligence, domestic intelligence and criminal justice. He is also author of "Eyes To My Soul," which details his experiences.

Dr. Powers said U.S. intelligence agencies have been meeting in Quantico, Va., since last January planning for possible civil disturbances as a result of Y2K disruptions. "Urban areas, Blacks specifically, and minorities in general are considered to be the major threat," he said.

According to Dr. Powers, the government is prepared with a three case scenario for Y2K shutdowns: brown-outs or disruptions for less than 24 hours; black-outs or disruptions lasting one or two days; and "Mad Max" or outages for five days and more resulting in some chaos. In the Mad Max scenario, the president could declare marshal law and FBI hostage rescue teams could be deployed, he said.

"In the worst case scenario, certain people will be removed from the community as a threat. These individuals already have been identified. Intelligence operations and events are usually prepared years in advance," Dr. Powers continued.

An FBI spokesman said that the bureau was not commenting on Project Megiddo and that the report stood on its own.

"The idea that we (Blacks) are a major threat is absurd but predictable. Preparing for this problem is something everyone wants to avoid�trying to cool things out," said D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Lawrence Guyot, who has been among those pressing officials for information about what Y2K will mean for Black neighborhoods in the city.

"The main concern for the government is having people think that the safest place for their money is in federally insured institutions (banks). Y2K is showing the inherent racism in America that must be dealt with," he said. "People should be preparing by storing what�s necessary for their biological needs for two to three weeks," Mr. Guyot advised.

"We need to close the distance in the digital divide; though it will be after-the-fact of whatever suffering is caused by Y2K. Y2K just emphasizes the problem in this country of unequal access for those most vulnerable to damage," said Professor Ronald Walters, a political scientist at the University of Maryland. "People with less resources will have less ability to correct systems affected by computer problems and will become more disconnected from large systems�public and private sector," he said.