KKK promises 'largest' rally everPosted:Feb 06, 2013 10:15 PM ESTUpdated:Feb 07, 2013 10:59 AM EST
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) – KKK members have usually shrouded themselves in anonymity throughout their hateful history.
The Tennessee area leader known as the "Exalted Cyclops" did not want to be fully identified when he agreed to speak with Action News 5 about the renaming of three city parks.
"You're going to see the largest rally Memphis, Tennessee has ever seen," said "Edward", as he wanted to be known.
He said he began contacting fellow Klansmen even before the city council's decision Tuesday night.
"It's not going to be 20 or 30," said he said. "It's going to be thousands of Klansmen from the whole United States coming to Memphis, Tennessee."
The KKK wants to rally in the renamed Health Sciences Park. That's where former "grand wizard" and confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest is memorialized.
In addition to Forrest Park, Confederate and Jefferson Davis Parks downtown were temporarily renamed and may never go back.
"And for our part, we're going to administer the wishes of council," said city CAO George Little.
Little said signage will probably be replaced when permanent names are decided.
Meanwhile, critics are free to protest. That includes the KKK.
"Should they do so and gather lawfully, then we wouldn't get any more involved with that than we would with any other group," said Little.
Part of the reason council members took on the park issue was to combat an effort in Nashville to preserve the confederacy-related names.
The sponsors of that legislation never returned our phone calls.
KKK recruitment letters handed out in Wilmington communitiesPosted:Jan 31, 2013 6:21 PM ESTUpdated:Feb 04, 2013 6:21 PM EST
WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Neighbors are calling it disturbing.
It appears that the Ku Klux Klan is going door-to-door in some communities, passing out recruitment letters.
The letters are from a faction of the KKK called the "Loyal White Knights" and urge those who read them to "help save our race."
Residents at Mill Creek Apartments and other communities off of Kerr Avenue called us after getting the flyers.
One woman told us she saw members of the group wearing robes and handing them out to those in the community.
Riz Ali got one of the letters.
"It was a shock at first," he said. "Then, I started laughing it off because I can't take it seriously. It's too much craziness. You see that and you come from a different race and you're like, wow. This is crazy."
We called the number listed on the letter. The message on the voicemail states, "If you are white and proud, join the crowd." It also goes on to criticize President Barack Obama and plans for immigration reform. We left a message and we're waiting for a call back from the group.
We talked to Chris Barker, the "Imperial Wizard" of the Loyal White Knights. He says he's raising awareness for illegal immigration.
"I try to talk with African Americans all the time about it and they tell me they feel the same way. We are losing our country. This country was built by white Christian men. We have the feeling that they have the exact same rights we do now. They've been here just as long. But these immigrants come in here, taking what's left of American and the African Americans agree with us too. That this is just getting too much."
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the U.S., calls the KKK one of the "most infamous and oldest of American hate groups." They estimate there are between 5,000 and 8,000 members of the group. For more information, clickhere.
Ku Klux Klan targets metro Atlanta for recruitment,Posted:Jan 22, 2013 10:49 PM ESTUpdated:Jan 22, 2013 11:30 PM ESTBy Steve Kiggins, NEWTON COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
People in a Newton County neighborhood woke up to find flyers in their driveway, urging them to join the Ku Klux Klan.
Police collected more than 30 of the flyers that were folded and packed into plastic sandwich bags and tossed at the end of driveways.
A man claiming to be an Imperial Wizard told CBS Atlanta News over the phone that the Newton County neighborhood was just one of many neighborhoods from Florida to New York State where they distributed flyers.
But the neighbors in Newton County told CBS Atlanta News the propaganda brought them together, rather than dividing them.
"We probably threw it away and didn't realize what it was," said neighbor Hadiyah Abdul-Mateen.
Abdul-Mateen didn't even recognize the Ku Klux Klan targeted her family for recruitment on the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.
"They need to get a life, I mean really," said Abdul-Mateen. "I'm hoping it had nothing to do with President Barack Obama being re-elected."
The flyers surprised neighbors in the diverse neighborhood outside of Covington. The flyers' message: join the Klan and fight for the white race's rights.
"It's embarrassing, it's very sad," said neighbor Wendy Lozynski. "You teach your kids not to hate, and then somebody goes and does something like this, is embarrassing."
The flyers displayed a phone number with a North Carolina area code, so CBS Atlanta News called it. A few hours later, a man claiming to be Chris Barker, an imperial wizard with the Klan returned the message.
"Can you tell me if this was an effort to intimidate neighbors or if this was more of a recruitment drive for your organization?" asked CBS Atlanta News reporter Steve Kiggins.
"More of a recruitment drive to let the neighborhood know the Klan is there and the Klan isn't going anywhere," said Barker. "We told our members to go out and pretty much counteract Martin Luther King's birthday, who was a known communist - and we decided to put out Klan literature."
But neighbors said the Klan should pass them by the next time they want to recruit new members.
"They're idiots," said Lozynksi. "Very close-minded morons."
The Newton County Sheriff's Department said there's nothing illegal about distributing the flyers; it's just like an advertisement for lawn service - but they're asking anyone who got one to call police.
Copyright 2013WGCL-TV(Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
KKK talks rising recruitment numbers as locals receive flyersPosted on: 6:51 pm, January 8, 2013, byAlix BryanandCatie Beck,updated on: 07:15pm, January 8, 2013
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)–The Ku Klux Klan call themselves the invisible empire, but they have certainly been reaching out to Richmond area residents, some who have received recruitment flyers twice within two months.
Two men who profess to be members of the Virginia Ku Klux Klan spoke with CBS 6.
The man wearing the green robe said he’s the head of the state network, known as the grand dragon. The other is a regional head. They said there has been a surge of interest in the KKK since President Obama’s first term.
“Since Obama’s first term our numbers have doubled and now that we’re headed to a second term it’s going to triple, this is going to be the biggest resurgence of the Klan since 1915,” said one of the Klansmen interviewed.
The Klansman have been handing out flyers in a Mechanicsville neighborhood, and neighbors who received them have contacted CBS 6.
“We’re not trying to target anybody or scare anybody with hate, we’re just using our freedom of speech to drop fliers,” said one of the Klansmen interviewed. “Everyone thinks that we’re a hate group, we’re not a hate group, we don’t hate anyone, and we want to see good things come to our race.”
The Klansmen said that they’re white separatist, non-violent Christians whose mission is protect the rights of white people lawfully, the same way the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People does for African-Americans.
These two Klansmen claimed that they’d never commit a hate crime or hurt someone of another race. CBS 6 asked would they help someone of another race in need, and they said yes.
When CBS 6 asked if they would ever be friends with a black person, they firmly said no.
“If people want to associate with blacks let them do it but there’s people out there that want to stay of their own kind…let them do it,” said one of the Klansmen interviewed.
Local NAACP director King Salim Khalfani said that the KKK history suggests there is more hate behind what they call a separatist philosophy.
“They have a history of terrorism, torture, murder…,” said Khalfani.
Khalfani said his group is aware of a rise in KKK activity, specifically since November’s election. He said the recruiting is no surprise but that it comes with false advertising about who they really are.
“Be honest, I respect people who are honest, but it’s harder to recruit when you say it like it is,” he said.
Civil rights historian Brian Daugherity agrees with Khalfani that the KKK should be classified as a hate group, but said that today’s Virginia KKK is likely not as involved in the violent and criminal activities of decades past.
Still, for most Virginians, the flyers stir a sour memory.
“I think most Virginians think this was a long time ago and the current activity is uncomfortable,” said Daugherity. “It’s disturbing, it’s scary.”
The Klansmen are aware of that fear. They fear showing their faces as KKK members would mean losing their day jobs.
However, the plan is to continue recruiting in central Virginia, and to remain invisible except to those who share their beliefs.
“Being a Klansman isn’t something you just do on the weekends, you live twenty-four seven for the Klan,” said one of the Klansmen interviewed.
Neighbors in an East Memphis neighborhood awoke unnerved to find flyers in their driveway that were distributed by the KKK as a part of their recruiting efforts.
"I saw some flyers right here. I actually didn't pick them up. I thought they were garbage," says a neighbor, who did not want her face or name on TV. She says police were cleaning up the flyers between 6:30 and 7 a.m.
"It's kind of scary now because we've lived here for the past 10 years and nothing really bad goes on around here."
FOX13 News spoke with two members of the Memphis KKK, who did not want give their names. They said their organization's recent recruiting efforts have brought in a large number of new members, although they did not want to name a specific number.
The KKK is recruiting and planning for an April rally in Memphis.
In response to neighbors in the areas their flyers have turned up in being scared, one member says, "We're not near as bad as people put us out to be, that's why we throw them out at night. And if you don't like it, throw it away."
The Mid-South Peace and Justice Centerreleased a statement saying, "These small acts of hate are met by great acts of Love in our community. This attempt to divide has caused neighbors (brown/black/white/gay/straight) to join together in their driveways this morning to denounce your hate. Neighbors that did not know one another became friends this morning, they came to know each other, to understand that their Love of our community will always overcome your hatred."
The Memphis chapter of the Klan is under new leadership, according to the members FOX13 News spoke with. They are also promoting a new image.
"We're not a hate group, we're a Christian-based group," said a Memphis KKK member. "We are wanting to talk about all the immigrants coming in, the millions and billions of dollars we're sending out of our country every year and the white man, the black man, both are losing their jobs."
KKK pamphlets distributed in Memphis neighborhood Posted:Jan 04, 2013 10:21 PM ESTUpdated:Jan 06, 2013 8:40 PM EST MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) – People in a Memphis neighborhood woke up Friday morning, to something no one expected.
SLIDESHOW
Click hereto see how the pamphlets were distributed
Recruitment flyers for the Ku Klux Klan were scattered throughout dozens of streets in bags secured with white rocks.
"It was there in the driveway, and I'm like Oh my god," said Shakita Pettis.
Another man only identified himself as Taurien. He and another woman haven't even been in their neighborhood two years with their small child.
"I'm thinking about her before anything, because she'll start school here in a couple years," the woman said.
Neither of the two could believe the organization was still active, much less passing out recruitment flyers sometime.
Memphis Police found the rock filled bags at several homes.
A hotline number was listed on the pamphlet. I called and left a message.
Late Friday night, Action News 5 received a call back from a man who identified himself as a member of the organization.
He would not say who was passing out the bags.
The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center responded to the organization's pamphlets in a statement that read:
"These small acts of hate are met by great acts of Love in our community. This attempt to divide has caused neighbors (brown/black/white/gay/straight) to join together in their driveways this morning to denounce your hate. Neighbors that did not know one another became friends this morning, they came to know each other, to understand that their Love of our community will always overcome your hatred."
Neo-Nazi/KKK rally draws counter protest, "clowns" group
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -
The National Socialist Movement held a rally at the old City Hall site in Uptown Saturday.
The group says the annual event was meant to bring attention to illegal immigration and other crimes in the nation.
Leaders say they chose North Carolina because of the growing illegal immigration in this part of the country.
The rally drew hundreds but the majority were counter-protestors led by the Latin American Coalition. Anarchists and members of the Occupy movement were also in attendance.
Noise from the counter protestors who circled around NSM members largely drowned out the speeches made from a podium.
It drew the curiosity of onlookers like Jesse Peoples who said he heard about the rally while riding the bus. "I had to see this to believe it," Peoples said.
"We are here in defense of white America and standing up against illegal immigration," Jeff Schoep with the National Socialist Movement told WBTV Saturday. "We want to give people a third party alternative. Voting for Democrats, Republicans has failed this country, nation."
"To have this kind of racism and hate in 2012 is really ridiculous and want be tolerated," Lacey Williams with the Latin American Coalition said. Williams said several people dressed like clowns to show how they felt about the NSM.
"I'm trying to reflect what they are and I'm showing them what they look like," Mary Espinosa said.
CMPD used several techniques during this rally that they used during the Democratic National Convention. There were no report of arrests.
According to its website, "The National Socialist Movement is the largest pro-White civil rights organization in America. It has chapters across America, and affiliates around the world."
KKK fliers show up in Mechanicsville neighborhood Many neighbors in one Mechanicsville neighborhood tell CBS 6 that they discovered an unwanted delivery in their driveway Sunday morning.
“I was surprised because in this day and time you don’t see things like that,” said George Beasley, after receiving the flyer.
Several neighbors in the Hanover Farms subdivision and along Boatswain Lane in Mechanicsville contacted us about what they considered disturbing. It was literature from the Ku Klux Klan that had been left in their driveway overnight.
“Like I said I’ve been out here 35 years and I’ve never seen anything out here before like that,” said Boatswain resident Tommy Banton.
The flier for the white supremacist group was cut in a small square shape and put inside small plastic bags. Included inside the bag was a rock to weigh it down.
The text of the flier read, “The law abiding citizens of your community can sleep in peace tonight know the Klan is on the prowl.”
It goes on to ask for interested new members and efforts to “stop a third world invasion before people have to sell their homes and property values go down”.
“I don’t expect to see that at this day and time,” said Banton.
The Hanover Sheriff’s Department was contacted about the incident around 10 am on Sunday morning. A neighbor who had received the flier contacted police and they soon after would come out to investigate.
Police noticed at least a dozen other of the KKK fliers deposited at other nearby homes. Several neighbors can’t understand why their neighborhood was selected to receive the mail.
“It’s surprising that it still exists, I didn’t think it existed at all in Virginia,” said Beasley.
Police reiterated that putting these fliers out is completely legal, however they noted the incident because they are always concerned about people moving around at night in residential areas.
CBS 6 called the number listed on the flier and reached a voicemail that claimed to be for the KKK. A message was left, but not returned.
Ku Klux Klan Flyers Left In Mechanicsville Driveways
Posted: Nov 06, 2012 5:43 PM EST
Updated: Nov 06, 2012 5:43 PM EST
Hanover County, VA—More than one dozen Mechanicsville residents woke up Sunday to find a message left in their driveways by the Ku Klux Klan overnight.
Flyers printed with images of a hooded figure and the words "The KKK Wants You!" were left at the end of some residents' driveways. The flyers say neighbors can "sleep in peace knowing the Klan is on the prowl."
Neighborhood resident Theodore Olson collected a handful of the flyers from driveways along his street, and kept them in the plastic bags they were cased within before calling police.
"If something happens to my neighbor the next day, I want to be able to give something to the forensic people to follow up on," explained Olson.
Police told Olson since the group didn't break the law, there was nothing they could do.
Other residents say they were shocked to find the flyers at their homes, and scared about the Klan being on the "prowl."
"The note we got looked a little smaller than a 3X5 card, with a cross on it and a hooded figure on it…[it] was dropped off right at the end of our driveway," Alex Markey told us. ""These people are out to harm people. More than harm. More than beat up, more than jump. They're out to kill them for no other reason than their race."
Theodore Olso views the situation as an opportunity to look out for the folks next door, and to preserve a sense of safety in his neighborhood.
"I'm not going to stand by while someone intimidates someone else, you know. It's no different than my grandmother being bullied."
Posted on: 7:42 pm, November 5, 2012, by Catie Beck, updated on: 08:21pm, November 5, 2012
Many neighbors in one Mechanicsville neighborhood tell CBS 6 that they discovered an unwanted delivery in their driveway Sunday morning.
“I was surprised because in this day and time you don’t see things like that,” said George Beasley, after receiving the flyer.
Several neighbors in the Hanover Farms subdivision and along Boatswain Lane in Mechanicsville contacted us about what they considered disturbing. It was literature from the Ku Klux Klan that had been left in their driveway overnight.
“Like I said I’ve been out here 35 years and I’ve never seen anything out here before like that,” said Boatswain resident Tommy Banton.
The flier for the white supremacist group was cut in a small square shape and put inside small plastic bags. Included inside the bag was a rock to weigh it down.
The text of the flier read, “The law abiding citizens of your community can sleep in peace tonight know the Klan is on the prowl.”
It goes on to ask for interested new members and efforts to “stop a third world invasion before people have to sell their homes and property values go down”.
“I don’t expect to see that at this day and time,” said Banton.
The Hanover Sheriff’s Department was contacted about the incident around 10 am on Sunday morning. A neighbor who had received the flier contacted police and they soon after would come out to investigate.
Police noticed at least a dozen other of the KKK fliers deposited at other nearby homes. Several neighbors can’t understand why their neighborhood was selected to receive the mail.
“It’s surprising that it still exists, I didn’t think it existed at all in Virginia,” said Beasley.
Police reiterated that putting these fliers out is completely legal, however they noted the incident because they are always concerned about people moving around at night in residential areas.
CBS 6 called the number listed on the flier and reached a voicemail that claimed to be for the KKK. A message was left, but not returned.
While their website is touting a rally in Mount Airy, local law enforcement officials say a planned rally by the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Clan will actually be held in Claudeville, Va.
Sheriff Graham Atkinson said yesterday that he and other law enforcement know of the planned rally by the Eden-based group but will not be actively involved due to jurisdictional issues.
Captain Alan Freeman of the Mount Airy Police Department said his department knows of the planned gathering and will be keeping an eye out.
“We’re aware of a rally that’s supposed to take place and had received information that it would be in Mount Airy, but it’s not,” Freeman said. “We later received information that it’s going to be held on private property in Claudeville.”
Freeman said no permits have been requested by the group.
“Usually, if they gather they get a permit or something like that, but we haven’t received any information about anything taking place here,” he said. “We’re just going to be keeping an eye out and letting everyone know that this is taking place so everyone can be aware.
“At this point we don’t know whether there’s actually going to be a rally, and if there is I hope it stays in Claudeville,” Freeman added. “But we’ll certainly be keeping an eye out.”
Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said he had no “official” confirmation there would be a Klan rally in Patrick County, though he did not discount the possibility.
“If it’s in Claudeville, obviously they want to be clandestine and not let anyone know,” he said, adding if the supposed rally takes place on private property no laws are being broken and his department would not be involved.
“If traffic starts getting back up in the streets, or blocks a public street, then obviously we would get involved,” he said.
While not commenting on this rally in particular, Smith said when there are large gatherings of people, he generally increases patrols in the area.
According to a flyer posted on the group’s website, the “Klan Rally” is set for today at 3 p.m. with a “crosslighting at dark.”
The flyer stipulates that the event is for “whites only.”
“All white people are welcome to attend,” it reads, adding that no weapons are allowed.
“Security will be provided by (the Loyal White Knights),” it continues. “We will be having speeches, food, drinks and more.
“This is a family event for WHITES ONLY.”
The phone number on the flyer is also found on the group’s website and is attributed to Imperial Wizard Chris Barker.
Phone messages left for Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith, whose department would have jurisdiction over any Claudeville rally, were not returned.
Members of a controversial white rights group are planning to gather in Iredell County and one of the Ku Klux Klan's highest ranking officials says he expects hundreds to attend.
Why Harmony?
A lot of people have been asking "Why has the KKK chosen to meet in Harmony?"
The small town has around 600 people and no stop lights.
Imperial Wizard Barker told WBTV that the group chose Harmony because a member of the group lives there and has a 20-acre that is private and big enough for the expected crowd.
Flyers for the event say the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan will gather for a "whites only" rally on Saturday in the town of Harmony. The event is being billed as a free rally and cross lighting slated as a "white unity event."
The national office for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is in Eden, North Carolina.
WBTV spoke to Imperial Wizard Chris Barker, the head of the Loyal White Knights, on the phone Wednesday evening. He says the group is expecting between 350 to 400 people at what he calls a "private event."
Harmony is so small that there's not even a traffic light, but down at the fire department a one woman crusade is underway against the KKK.
Martha Estep plans to be outside the building every day between now and Saturday's rally.
"People are still attending KKK meetings, people are still racist, and people don't talk about it publicly," she said.
While published flyers mention the town of Harmony, town leaders are going on the offensive to distance themselves from the event.
Ray Lewis is a town board member and a political pioneer.
"I was aghast first and I couldn't believe it," he said. "The town that I live in. I was the first and the only black that's been on the board of town of Harmony, and I've been on the board for 14 years."
WBTV also spoke with Mayor Joyce Rogers, who weighed in on the planned rally.
"We're very against this coming to our town, because we have a very nice community," Rogers said. "We get along in our community."
The town has just under 600 people and WBTV couldn't find anyone who was connected to the event.
Imperial Wizard Barker told WBTV that the group chose Harmony because a member of the group lives there and has a 20-acre that is private and big enough for the expected crowd.
But Barker wouldn't go into specifics as to where the rally was actually being held. He would only say that the event is slated to start around noon and last until around 10 p.m.
The flyer states for specific rally information, to call the group's 24-hour hotline.
WBTV placed a call to the number listed, which was picked up by a machine. The nearly minute long message stated that the LWK's rallies were not about hate, it was about preserving the white race.
The voice message quoted a Bible verse from Exodus 33:16. It also threw out quotes such as "Save our land, join the Klan," and "If it ain't white, it ain't right."
The rally is expected to end with a "cross lighting at dusk," the flyer states.
When asked about the reasoning behind the cross lighting, Barker says its a ritual that started with the six founding members of the KKK, who would go to the highest point and light a cross so members would know where to meet.
He says it's also a symbol that Christ is the light of the world.
Barker told WBTV that a naturalization ceremony, a swearing in for new members, will also be part of the rally. He says there is expected to be more than 20 new members from North Carolina.
According to Captain Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, deputies are aware that the rally is expected to happen in Harmony.
He says staff will be prepared to respond, if law enforcement is needed.
"The Loyal White Knights is a law abiding Christian Organization. We stand for pride in our race; and what our people have done past ,present and future," the website for the Loyal White Knights states. "We stand for freedom of speech, law and Order. We are here to protect our family, race and nation. To exemplify a pure patriotism towards our glorious country."
The Federal Bureau of Investigations considers the KKK a "white supremacy extremist group."
Barker says the FBI can label his organization whatever it wants, but they label themselves as a White Separatist Group.
"The Blacks have the NAACP the Mexicans La Raza and the Jews have the ADL," the website for the Loyal White Knights states. "We whites all across America have the Ku Klux Klan; fighting for a Brighter Whiter America."
He questions why other groups can have organizations for the betterment of their race, but whites can't.
"The KKK has done a lot of good things over the years - helped a lot of people," Barker said. "It's a shame when someone is 'White and Proud' that they get labeled a racist."
Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved. live link and vedio.
REIDSVILLE, NC (AP) -- Police in Reidsville are investigating some fliers that invite people to a cross-burning.
Police Chief Edd Hunt said officers have received calls about the fliers, which come two weeks after the Ku Klux Klan held a protest in nearby Eden.
Hunt says detectives are investigating but he's not sure if the material is connected to the earlier protests in Eden.
Annie Pinnix says she and her husband found one of the fliers rolled up like a newspaper in her driveway. She says she's lived in the neighborhood for six years and has never seen anything like this.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
KKK Concerns Residents While Soliciting New Members Posted: May 02, 2012 6:22 PM EDT
Updated: May 02, 2012 7:00 PM EDT
by Adam Ghassemi
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. Kenyetta Freeman noticed fliers on nearly every windshield at the "Arbors on Main" apartments as she was getting into her car Wednesday morning.
"It was face down," Freeman said. "I was like why did they get one and I didn't get one. Now I'm glad I didn't get one."
The fliers say the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is looking for new members.
Amber Dunn's stepfather found one on his car and threw it away.
"It's kind of like old-timey. You think about it just being in the past and being like, you know, part of our history and thinking that it's over with and racism is done with, but I guess it's really not," Dunn said.
Some people, at first, didn't think they were real. From video and pictures on the group's website to the message you get when you call the listed number, it's obvious it's a real solicitation.
"Greetings white brothers and sisters," a man's voice says on the recording. "We are a non-violent Christian group of men and women who want to see this once great nation restored back to its Christian morals and values."
"Always remember if it's not white, it ain't right. White power," the recorded voice ended.
"This is a real thing. Someone has put together a quote unquote legitimate type of business or cult. That makes me extremely nervous," said Freeman.
Hendersonville Police say they sent out an officer to investigate after getting a complaint.
Authorities say the fliers appear to be informational, so they are protected as free speech. The only way someone could be charged is if they're caught trespassing after they've been asked to leave private property, or if they target someone specifically based on their race or ethnicity.
Local officials are dismayed to learn that a meeting of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is planned for Saturday in Export.
According to its website, the KKK will host a meet-and-greet that includes a cross lighting and speakers in an undisclosed location in the borough. The website says the rally is a mandatory meeting for all Pennsylvania and Maryland members of the group.
Mayor Michael Calder said he had not heard about the rally as of Monday. He doesn't like the idea of the KKK being associated with his hometown.
"It's just ridiculous and an insult to common sense," Calder said.
Councilwoman Melanie Litz agrees. She hadn't heard about the rally and said she is curious what organization would rent their facility to the group.
She pointed out that the Export ZIP code is shared by other municipalities, such as Murrysville and Penn Township.
"We don't encourage this, and we won't be attending," Litz said. "That's not something people should associate with Export."
This isn't the first time the KKK has been linked to Export. In November, several homemade KKK-recruiting placards were posted on telephone poles and on the exteriors of business windows.
The KKK has been meeting privately in Export for several years, said Chris Barker, the imperial wizard for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He called Saturday's meeting a "white unity gathering" that will include members from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.
"(We're not) going out into the street to cause trouble," Barker said in a phone interview. "There's a lot of black on white crime in Pennsylvania. A lot of people are calling us left and right, very concerned with what's going on there in Pennsylvania."
Barker said KKK membership in the state has spiked during recent years and that the Klan is becoming more active in both eastern and western Pennsylvania.
"We're trying to change how Northerners look at us," said Barker, who is from North Carolina. "We're not afraid for people to know who we are. We are the Ku Klux Klan and (we're not going anywhere)."
On the website, the group claims it isn't a hate group. Instead, it states that "We do not hate any group of people. However, we do hate some things that certain groups are doing to our race and Nation. We hate drugs, homosexuality, abortion and race-mixing because these things go against God's law and they are destroying all white nations."
It isn't common for a group such as the KKK to hold a rally so close to an urban area such as Pittsburgh, said Nina Sundell, the regional director for Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia of the Anti-Defamation League. Sundell said the KKK holds rallies for different reasons, and the location depends on its motive.
"One is they want attention. They want people to know they are there," Sundell said. "(Second,) they can be trying to intimidate communities. Third, it's a recruitment strategy, especially in larger areas."
The Constitution protects the right to assemble and freedom of speech. State police, which provide police protection in Export, have to find a balance between protecting those constitutional rights and protecting the people the KKK are assembling against, said Trooper Steve Limani.
Litz said she understands the difficulty for police.
"They have the right to assemble," Litz said. "But that doesn't mean we have to support it."
Sundell suggested that Export residents not attend the rally, particularly if they want to provoke the KKK. Instead, the community should come together to show that their beliefs are different than the Klan's.
"(Borough residents) want to show that they are an inclusive and safe environment for all of their residents," Sundell said. "By remaining silent, you're acting as a bystander. It's really important that the minorities and those that are being targeted in Export know that people want them in the community."
UPDATE 2:00 p.m. Sun, Jan. 1, 2012 Occupy Charlotte issued a press release late-night on New Year's Eve regarding the groups' decisions regarding the flag burning that took place in their camp Friday and their communication process with the media. Here is an excerpt:
Occupy Charlotte was not aware of and did not agree to support the burning of two American flags. Two of the individuals involved have participated in Occupy Charlotte activities, and each has issued a statement that they were not acting on the behalf of Occupy Charlotte.In other Occupy Charlotte news, after Charlotte City Councilman Andy Dulin brought up the Ku Klux Klan on Facebook last week, CL reached out to North Carolina's Loyal White Knights of the KKK for comment. Chris Barker, the organization's imperial wizard, responded Saturday afternoon to discuss both Dulin's comments and Occupy Charlotte's flag burning incident.
Regarding Dulin's comments, Barker said, "I truly don't think he understands what the Klan stands for or what it even means." He went on to explain that the organization is "an American institution," "is really all about good, Christian people coming together to help each other," and that it's still against the races mixing and "immigrants taking jobs." He also said, "A lot of people need to get over what happened in the 60s and move on."
Regarding the flag burning that took place at Occupy Charlotte's campsite on Old City Hall's lawn, Barker said, "I don't think you should have the right to burn the American flag." He also said that if people dont like America, they should move, going on to say that prospective Klan members must take an oath that includes a promise to be patriotic towards veterans, the flag and the country.
Listen to the N.C. KKK's voice mail greeting here, which offers more insight into what the group stands for today.
CL shared Barkers' comments with both Jason Bargert, who was arrested after setting fire to American flags Friday morning, and Occupy Charlotte, via Laurel Green of the organization's "internet and media working group," and requested a comment in response.
According to an ongoing debate on one of Occupy Charlotte's Facebook group pages, Bargert and one other occupier have reportedly been exiled from the camp over the flag burning incident.
Updated: Friday, 16 Sep 2011, 9:27 AM EDT Published : Friday, 16 Sep 2011, 9:27 AM EDT
The Klu Klux Klan is making a big push to add members in the Philadelphia area and Delaware. And its using the economy as a recruiting tool.
Our Claudia Gomez spoke with Pennsylvania Klan leader Ben Johnson, who says the Klan has changed and isnt violent. We also spoke with a man called John who leads the New Castle branch of the Klan.
Both men credit the bad economy with their resurgence.
But Johnson still espouses some traditional Klan values.
The Jews are running our country. The blacks have a ghetto in every city in the country. Noboby can deny that, he said. Im not going to go out and burn churches, and go out and hand somebody we want to try to do it politically.
Johnson said the Klans goals are to become a family-oriented group and a political group.
In Delaware, the focus is on Latino immigrants.
So people watch football games, I put up flyers, said a Klan leader named John in Newport, Del.
He doesnt put up crosses, though. That was a totally different era. Johnson says he is stocking up on ammo just in case.
Barry Morrison from the Anti-Defamation League says the danger is the Klan is inspiring imitators who might be much more violent.
Morrison said the Klan is divided across the country and it doesnt see sign of a local resurgence.
But two leaders she spoke with on Thursday say their numbers are growing.
"We have members in Philadelphia, members in Reading, members in Allentown, members in Royersford, we have members in Scranton, members in Wilkes-Barre. We have members in the western part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Dillsburg, York Pennsylvania. So I'm proud to say yeah, we are growing, said Johnson.
The Rebel Brigade Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are planning a rally in Harrison County this weekend.
The Rebel Brigade has members in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Imperial Klaliff Chris Barker told WAJR-FMs Morning Edition Wednesday the group has a growing West Virginia chapter.
Saturday's rally, which is expected to draw 150 people, will be private and held at an undisclosed located. Barker is stressing that they will not be holding any public demonstrations yet.
However, he says the West Virginia chapter plans to be more active and future demonstrations are in the works.
What does the NAACP have to say about an apparent Klu Klux Klan recruiting push in the Philadelphia and Delaware areas?
Fox 29's Claudia Gomez broke this story, and spoke with the NAACP on Friday, a day after speaking with a Klan leader.
The NAACP is not surprised the KKK still exists in New Castle County. But they are surprised at how the Klan appears to be growing in predominantly white neighborhoods like Newport.
The Rebel Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan insist they're a peaceful bunch.
"The Klan has been trying to tone down its image, more Christian, and that's exactly what we are, a christian organization. We're out for white unity, we ain't in for no violence, says Rebel Knights leader Chris Barker.
Fox 29 talked to Barker, the leader overseeing the Delaware movement by phone. He says the Klan is actively recruiting new members in New Castle Count, by leaving messages outside homes in mostly white neighborhoods.
"We're continuing, and pretty much throughout this year we're going to hit even harder actually through Delaware and Pennsylvania."
"We feel we have to step up our game, as they recruit in the Klan more members, we recruit more members in the Naacp, says Lance Bruce, the NAACP spokesman in Delaware.
the problems may be growing. Earlier this week, police say two teens left this cross marked with the n-word outside the home of an African-American family in Newark.
Police insist it's an isolated incident. But the NAACP isn't convinced, and intends to push back against the Klan's apparent resurgence.
"if we have to take to the streets with marches, if we have to boycott certain businesses that support them, and put an additional heat on law enforcement and the criminal justice system., Bruce says.
It could turn out to be a busy time for the civil rights organization. The Klan told Fox 29 it's going to buy land in New Castle County to build a compound, where members can stage cross burnings.
"We're not going to be intimidated, and we're not going to change lifestyles in new castle county or in the state of Delaware because of a handful of hateful people, we're just not going to do that, said Jea P. Street, New Castle County Councilman.
In a follow-up to a story Fox 29 broke on Wednesday, the Ku Klux Klan may be trying to recruit new members in Philadelphia as well as Delaware.
According to the latest Census data, about 62 percent of Philadelphia's population is Black, Latino or Asian.
Fox 29s Claudia Gomez talked to one of the top leaders in the Ku Klux Klan on Thursday. She spoke to Chris Barker by phone and he's the number two guy in a faction of the KKK called the "Rebel Brigade, Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan."
Barker is based in North Carolina, and he says he oversees KKK operations in Delaware:
For the past several months, the Ku Klux Klan has been leaving a calling card outside homes in New Castle County, Delaware, hoping to find new members. The baggies include a couple of phone numbers. So we called, and eventually heard back from barker.
"We're going to start doing more stuff in Delaware. We're looking at now purchasing land out there for a compound they're going to have built out there. We'll start holding our annual meetings in Delaware and Maryland, he said.
The Klan is hoping to buy that land just outside Wilmington, near the neighborhoods where it's been recruiting. Once the compound is built, the KKK is planning, "regular Klan rallies with the cross-lighting ritual and all that, will be held there."
Barker says the Klan's campaign to beef up membership in New Castle County is working.
"Way over 500 members out there, just in that one section between Northern Delaware and the border of Pennsylvania, right through there, Barker said.
We don't know if barker is exaggerating the numbers. But we do know another faction of the KKK is also trying to recruit in Philadelphia.
"Hello marc, this is Adam from your local Ku Klux Klan, was a voice mail left for Fox 29 viewer Marc Eichler.
The caller intentionally distorted the sound of his voice, when he left this message on Eichler's cellphone.
"We'd like to find out how much you hate n-----s, and we're also trying to recruit for our annual drive, recruiting drive."
Eichler never called them back, "because I have no interest in joining the KKK."
"It's not the deep south, this area is so culturally diverse... And you just don't know what they would want in this area."
Fox 29 called the number left on Eichler's voicemail.
A man who identified himself as the national director told us there is no KKK phone campaign in Philadelphia.
And he doesn't know who left the message or why.
He also told us his group has no affiliation with the group operating in Delaware.
Surrounded by the Nation's Capital, this is a view of the political happenings in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and points beyond.....
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
KKK Fliers In Somerset County
(WMDT) - Marion residents are on edge, after dozens of fliers promoting a Ku Klux Klan rally in Virginia, littered the Somerset County area. It has many demanding answers.
"It's 2011. It's very difficult to believe that these organizations still exist and recruit," said Lieutenant Kray Plunkert, Commander for the Maryland State Police Barrack in Princess Anne.
"I thought the KKK was just history, but its like anything else, some bad blood and certain people linger on and on," said President of the Somerset County NAACP.
The fliers read: "White People Only," and talk about plan to burn a cross. They were tossed on several properties including a church, a cemetery and even on lawns off the beaten path.
"Everybody back here is black, so I just wasn't understanding what their motivation could ever be. Was it just to inform us that they are here," said Marion resident, Terri Holbrook.
Police say because the solicitors littered, they did break a law. However, it is a law they say they usually wouldn't follow through with, being that unwanted mail falls on a number of residential properties all the time.
"In the nature and the way they are soliciting and passing out the fliers is not against the law," said Lt. Plunkert.
This isn't Marion's first run in with the KKK. Back in February, street signs were spray painted with racial slurs, which resulted in a number of arrests. But still there is fear among residents.
"We can't say what they won't do, but I would like somebody to nip it in the bud, before they can do anything," said Holbrook.
Maryland State Police say they will not tolerate this, and are being proactive. They say they have increased patrols in the area, and plan to continue investigating this matter. Anyone who sees signs of hatred, or if they know information should call police.
Part 1: Resurgence of the KKK Posted:May 19, 2011 2:02 PM EDT
Reporter: David Tate
Henry Co., VA - Since 2001, the number of hate groups across the country has nearly doubled. The Southern Poverty Law Center says for the first time since they've been tracking these groups, the number is now more than 1,000.
One in particular, the Ku Klux Klan, has factions that are making southside Virginia their epicenter.
"The property [was] left to us in their will in order for us to keep the meetings going on. So we're not going anywhere," said local Klan leader Stan Martin.
Since the 70s, the KKK has been suffering through splits from within its ranks that, 40 years later, is evolving into two general directions: one that adheres to the hatred and fear mongering of days gone by, and one that maintains white separatism but is now focused on the reason for their racial bias - the federal government.
"I did not get involved with the Ku Klux Klan because I hate people. I got involved with the Ku Klux Klan because of what they are doing to my country," said Dennis LeBonte of Powhatan.
And over the past few years, that second group has been taking full-advantage of a membership that goes back generations and across state lines, exploiting discontent fueled by issues like equal rights for homosexuals, taking God out of schools and immigration.
"The whole anti-immigration issue. Also, we still have... every time there's been a significant advance by African-Americans in this country there has been a resurgence of the Klan," said Dr. Wornie Reed who leads Virginia Tech's Center For Social Justice.
Groups like Rebel Brigade Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which claims Martinsville as its headquarters.
On a day in early April they organized nearly 100 Klansman, from a half dozen states, to assemble on the steps of the old Patrick County Courthouse.
"Ladies and gentleman of this county the Ku Klux Klan is here to stay. We're here to fight for what other people want. You want peace? I want peace, but I want peace for my race," shouted Bradley Jenkins to a small crowd.
Some locals were among the Klan, but most of those that stopped to watch, seemed more stunned than anything.
In 2011, KKK rallies will be held in Patrick County, Eden, Max Meadows, and Dunagan.
But no one place will hold as many rallies as are being held in Henry County, in a field hidden by trees, behind a rebel flag. There, nearly a half dozen cross-lightings are planned this year - expected to draw Klansman from much of the country.
On Friday in part 2 of Resurgence of the KKK, David Tate will go inside that compound for a closer look at what goes on, and we'll also talk to that county's sheriff to get his take on this suddenly overt display of what is also known as the "invisible empire."
Henry Co., VA - According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, hate groups in America have nearly doubled-to more than 1,000-over the past decade.
It is all a part of a massive surge in radical-right wing groups that are known as "Patriot Groups," accounting for more than 60 percent of the hate group growth over the past decade.
While some would argue the KKK is not a patriot group, it is at least the shape that group is looking to reform its image in and several factions are making southside Virginia their epicenter.
"We're not going anywhere,"said Stan Martin of the Rebel Brigade Knits of the KKK. "We just don't come out and try to create problems."
One day last month, Patrick County found itself in the middle of a hundred-strong Klan rally with Alabama Klansman Bradley Jenkins giving a rousing speech.
"I was a Klansman the day I was born and I'll be a Klansman until they put me into the ground. Can I hear an AMEN?"
And the message they brought was loud and clear.
"I want peace, but I want peace for my race!"
Atrace weekend in Martinsville last month,while you would haveexpected authoritiesto welcome all visitors, this year it wasn't the case.
"I don't condone hate groups in any form or fashion. I don't agree with their mentality and no, I don't want them in my jurisdiction," said Sheriff Lane Perry.
While many of Perry's men are pulling security at the race, he's in Henry County, keeping an eye on another gathering of the Klan.
"What we're finding out is that it's not really local people but people from North Carolina and other states coming up here because they have a very isolated area that's out of the way," said Perry.
Out of the way, a few miles from a place called Pleasant Grove in Henry County.Behind a confederate flag thereis a meeting place for Klan members from all over the south.
Reporter David Tate was invited inside to watch a cross lighting, that was eventually canceled.While in this compound he met a number of members.
Mostwere from out of town and from all walks of life:a tattoo artist,a 72-year old grandmother,a man who says he lost his leg due to an infection caught in Afghanistan, anda long-serving mayor in Southwestern Virginia.
Stan Martin is from Henry County and leads the Rebel Brigade Knights of the KKK.
"We're growing in numbers... you wouldn't believe. People are being tired of being pushed to the side," said Martin.
His group, and affiliated Klans, are part of this resurgence, historically the fourth since the Klan was founded in 1865.
A resurgence, several members say is still based on separatism, but no longer on hate and terror.
"When push comes to shove, we're going to be there. Numbers don't intimidate us. By the same token, we are law abiding citizens and if anybody is not that, we don't want you," said Martin.
Their enemy seems to be the government.
"Our biggest enemy is the powers that be. The people sitting in Washington. That is our enemy," said Dennis LeBonte, a Klansman from Powhatan.
They say they are the white people's NAACP that wants to see an end to illegal immigration and gay rights while putting God back in the schools.
Bishop E.M. Mitchell, who heads up Roanoke's chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, doesn't' believe the Klan can change.
"They can only be different when they realize that we are all made from the same God. That all men are the same. He does not deal with color; black or white or whatever, and until that gets in their (the KKK) heart they'll stay where they are," Mitchell said.
Virginia Tech's Director of Social Justice, Dr. Wornie Reed, agrees.
"They can't be the Klan unless they hold some of the principles that the Klan has always held and the Klan has always held principles that were kind of anti-democratic... that is anti-democratic for anybody other than whites," said Reed.
"They've gotta go farther than that. We either going to live in this world together or we're going to die in it together," added Mitchell.
Members of Virginias congressional delegation on Friday widely condemned a planned Saturday rally by the Ku Klux Klan in Martinsville, a city of 15,000 on the states southern border.
The rally comes on the same day that millions of Americans will be watching Virginia Commonwealth Universitys basketball team compete in the Final Four tournament.
Organized by a group called Virgils White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the gathering will take place in the district represented by freshman Rep. Robert Hurt (R).
"Robert believes that racism has absolutely no place in our society," a spokeswoman for Hurt told The Hill. The spokeswoman also confirmed that the congressman plans to spend Saturday in Buckingham County, located on the opposite side of the district from Martinsville.
Rep. Morgan Griffith (R), whose district borders Martinsville to the west, defended the KKKs constitutional right to free speech, but he condemned the rally as "an act of hatred."
"The Constitution guarantees free speech even if we find the actions and the speech deplorable. Acts of hatred divide us, not unite us," Griffith said.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) were unavailable for comment because they were traveling. Both had indicated they would be attending Saturdays Final Four match-up in Houston.
Among those lawmakers with the strongest reactions was Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), who told The Hill, "All men are created equal. There is no place for any type of racism or hatred in our country and I adamantly condemn any group practicing bigotry against humanity."
A spokeswoman for Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said he "finds the policies, opinions and actions of the Ku Klux Klan to be completely reprehensible."
A similar note was struck by Rep. Frank Wolfs (R-Va.) spokesman, who said the lawmaker "is strongly opposed to the KKK."
Among those members who declined to comment, some cited the fact that the event was being held outside their districts. Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Scott Rigell (R-Va.) were unavailable for comment at press time due to scheduling conflicts.
Spokespersons from the offices of the state's two Democratic senators declined comment.
According to a YouTube video posted on the groups website, plans for the rally had been in place since January. But the news seemed to come as a surprise on Capitol Hill.
The video shows a man in a white hooded costume saying that the rally will include "a cross lighting at dark," and that "vendors will be selling white power t-shirts, flags, patches, CDs, and all other white power items."
The identity of the man in the hood was unclear, and phone calls and emails to the group went unanswered Friday. In a voicemail greeting, the group claims to be the most active branch of the KKK in America.
It was not immediately clear how many people were expected at the rally, but in photos from a Virginia rally held by the group last year, The Hill counted a few dozen individuals, although the group claims that many more attended than are photographed.
A spokeswoman for the Martinsville Police Department said the police force will have "adequate manpower" in place.
We Are Not Backing Down!!!
WHITE POWER!!!
We Are The
Ku Klux Klan
for America.....
Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan National Office Eden , NC27288 United States ph: (336)432-0386 klanman1866@kkkknights.com
