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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2016)
5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 Ku Klux Klan dreams of rising again 150 years after founding Leaders feel US politics are going their way By JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Born in the ashes of the smol- dering South after the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan died and was reborn before losing the ight against civil rights in the 1960s. Membership dwin- dled, a uniied group fractured, and one-time members went to prison for a string of mur- derous attacks against blacks. Many assumed the group was dead, a white-robed ghost of hate and violence. Yet today, the KKK is still alive and dreams of restor- ing itself to what it once was: an invisible white suprema- cist empire spreading its ten- tacles throughout society. As it marks 150 years of existence, the Klan is trying to reshape itself for a new era. Klan members still gather by the dozens under starry Southern skies to set ire to crosses in the dead of night, and KKK lealets have shown up in suburban neighborhoods from the Deep South to the Northeast in recent months. Perhaps most unwelcome to opponents, some independent Klan organizations say they are merging with larger groups to build strength. Going their way In a series of interviews with The Associated Press, Klan leaders said they feel that U.S. politics are going their way, as a national- ist, us-against-them mental- ity deepens across the nation. Stopping or limiting immigra- tion — a desire of the Klan dating back to the 1920s — is more of a cause than ever. And leaders say membership has gone up at the twilight of Pres- ident Barack Obama’s second term in ofice. Joining the Klan is as easy as illing out an online form — provided you’re white and Christian. Members can visit an online store to buy one of the Klan’s trademark white cotton robes for $145, though many splurge on the $165 satin version. While the Klan has terror- ized minorities during much of the last century, its leaders now present a public front that is more virulent than violent. Leaders from several different AP Photo/John Bazemore Members of the Ku Klux Klan participate in cross burn- ings after a “white pride” rally in rural Paulding County near Cedar Town, Ga., April 23. Born in the ashes of the smoldering South after the Civil War, the KKK died and was reborn before losing the fight against civil rights in the 1960s. Membership dwindled, a unified group frac- tured, and one-time members went to prison for a string of murderous attacks against blacks. Many assumed the group was dead, a white-robed ghost of hate and violence. AP Photo/Mike Stewart AP Photo/Mike Stewart Loyal White Knights Grand Dragon Will Quigg of Anaheim, Calif., center, shouts to protestors during a “White Pride,” rally, in Rome, Ga., April 23 The name “Ku Klux Klan” evokes horror for many, but what is the organization today? The AP is interviewed imperial wizards and grand dragons, a watchdog group and others to develop a portrait of the KKK as it exists in 2016. Protesters listen to members of the KKK speak during a “white pride” rally across the street in Rome, Ga., April 23. The Klan was formed just months after the end of the Civil War by six former Confederate officers. Klan groups all said they have rules against violence aside from self-defense, and even opponents agree the KKK has toned itself down after a string of members went to prison years after the fact for deadly arson attacks, beatings, bomb- ings and shootings. “While today’s Klan has still been involved in atroci- ties, there is no way it is as vio- lent as the Klan of the ’60s,” said Mark Potok of the South- ern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group that tracks activity by groups it considers extremist. “That does not mean it is some benign group that does not engage in political vio- lence,” he added. as whites tried to regain con- trol of the defeated Confeder- acy. Congress effectively out- lawed the Klan in 1871, and the group died. The Klan seemed rele- gated to history until World War I, but it was resurrected as waves of immigrants arrived from Europe and elsewhere, and grew more as the NAACP challenged the South’s Jim Crow laws in the 1920s. Mil- lions joined, including com- munity leaders like bankers and lawyers. That momentum declined, and best estimates place mem- bership at about 40,000 by the mid-’60s, the height of the civil rights movement. Klan members were convicted of using murder as a weapon against equality in states including Mississippi and Ala- bama, where one Klansman remains imprisoned for plant- ing the bomb that killed four black girls in a Birmingham Most groups are small Klan leaders told the AP that most of today’s groups remain small and operate inde- pendently, kept apart by dis- agreements over such issues THE DAILY ASTORIAN W EDNESDAY E VENING A (2) (-) (-) (6) (-) (8) (9) (10) (12) (13) (-) (20) (-) (29) (30) (31) (32) (34) (35) (36) (38) (39) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (56) (57) (58) (61) (63) (64) (65) (162) L KATU KOMO KING KOIN KIRO KGW KRCW KOPB KPTV KPDX KCPQ TBS KZJO ESPN ESPN2 NICK DISN FAM FMC LIFE ROOT FS1 SPIKE COM HIST A&E TLC DISC NGEO TNT AMC USA FOOD HGTV FX CNN FNC CNBC BRAV TCM SYFY RFD (2) (4) (5) (-) (7) (-) (3) (10) (12) (-) (13) (20) (22) (29) (30) (31) (32) (34) (35) (36) (38) (39) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (56) (57) (58) (61) (63) (64) (65) (162) 6 as whether to associate with neo-Nazis, hold public ral- lies or wear the KKK’s trade- mark robes in colors other than white. It’s impossible to say how many members the Klan counts today since groups don’t reveal that information, but leaders claim adherents in the thousands among scores of local groups called Klaverns. “Most Klan groups I talk to could hold a meeting in the bathroom in McDonald’s,” said Chris Barker, imperial wizard of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Eden, North Carolina. As for his Klavern, he said, “Right now, I’m close to 3,800 mem- bers in my group alone.” The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish protec- tion group that monitors Klan activity, describes Barker’s Loyal White Knights as the most active group today, but estimates it has no more than 200 members. The ADL puts total Klan membership nation- wide at around 3,000. The Alabama-based SPLC estimates the Klan has about 190 chapters nationally with no more than 6,000 members total, which would be a mere shadow of its estimated 2 mil- lion to 5 million members in the 1920s. “The idea of unifying the Klan like it was in the ’20s is a persistent dream of the Klan, but it’s not happening,” Potok said. Post-Civil War Formed just months after the end of the Civil War by six former Confederate oficers, the Klan originally seemed more like a college frater- nity with ceremonial robes and odd titles for its oficers. But soon, freed blacks were being terrorized, and the Klan was blamed. Hundreds of peo- ple were assaulted or killed LISTINGS A - Charter Astoria/ Seaside - L - Charter Long Beach church in 1963. KKK leader Brent Waller, imperial wizard of the United Dixie White Knights in Missis- sippi, said stopping immigra- tion — not blocking minority rights — is the Klan’s No. 1 issue today. And other Klan leaders say Donald Trump’s ascendancy in the GOP is a sign things are going their way. “You know, we began 40 years ago saying we need to build a wall,” Arkansas-based Klan leader Thomas Robb said. Despite trying to rebrand itself, the Klan has not stepped away from burning crosses. As the sun set on a warm Sat- urday in April, Klan members gathered in a huge circle in a northwest Georgia ield to set a cross and Nazi swastika aire. “White power!” they chanted in unison. “Death to the ungodly! Death to our enemies!” Evening listings WEDNESDAY J ULY 6 PM 6:30 7 PM 7:30 8 PM 8:30 9 PM 9:30 10 PM 10:30 11 PM 11:30 KATU News Jeopardy! Wheel of Fortune The Middle The Goldbergs Modern Family Black-ish Fresh Off the Boat The Real O'Neals KATU News at 11 (:35) Jimmy Kimmel KOMO 4 News Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! 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