FIRST REPORT: Klan rally permit approved by Montgomery County: ‘We are legally obligated’
“Everybody in Dayton … that’s one thing we do agree on,” Domineck said.
A Better Dayton Coalition plans to deliver the petition to county commissioners at the next public meeting on April 9.
Because of First Amendment speech and assembly rights, chances the county will revoke the Klan group’s permit are remote, said Debbie Lieberman, Montgomery County Commission president.
“We don’t have a mechanism to keep them out,” she said. “They (Honorable Sacred Knights) were probably hoping we would deny it. Because if we would have denied it, they would have sued us, and they would have won, and we would have paid them a great deal of money.”
Lieberman said the county prosecutor’s office researched the issue thoroughly.
“Believe me, if there was a way to keep them out we definitely would,” she said.
RELATED: Groups oppose Klan rally in Dayton; call for meetings, peaceful protest
A Better Dayton Coalition will continue to seek the reversal of the county’s decision granting use of the public square to the Honorable Sacred Knights up until the day the Indiana group is scheduled to rally, said Yolanda Simpson with Black Lives Matter Miami Valley, also a member of the group.
“Maybe the pressure of the people and the pressure of the community will help them recognize that this is really dangerous,” Simpson said.
Member groups of the local coalition also include Justice for Racial Equality and Brotherhood, the National Congress on Faith and Social Justice, Sankofa Federation Dayton, Saving our Sons and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
A Better Dayton Coalition plans its second town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Deja Vu Hall, 4321 Salem Ave. in Dayton.
RELATED: Groups oppose Klan rally in Dayton; call for meetings, peaceful protest
Barring the Klan group’s withdrawal from a rally, A Better Dayton Coalition is sticking with a plan to gather non-violently opposite the Klan group despite calls by some officials to stay away from downtown the afternoon of May 25.
“A Better Dayton Coalition is not in agreement with the city’s point of view as far as people staying away,” Domineck said. “We feel like if that rally takes place, that we should be there to counter protest.”
Lieberman said its understandable citizens don’t want to ignore the Honorable Sacred Knights’ message.
“They are coming, and we know that there are going to be people that rightfully are upset and enraged,” she said.
During a community meeting last week organized by Dayton, city officials urged residents to stay away from downtown take part in alternative events.
RELATED: 200 people debate how best to counter Klan rally in Dayton
“We are clearly concerned about folks showing up downtown to protest and add to the concern the already high threshold of safety issues we will be experiencing on Saturday, May 25,” Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein said.
Dickstein presented a city plan to put large banners at Courthouse Square that celebrate Dayton qualities like diversity, tolerance and equality. The messages would be aimed squarely at the Klan group’s rally so citizens wouldn’t feel the need to directly confront Klan members and their supporters, she said.
“You don’t have to come down here and espouse your values about this hate, because we are taking care of that for you,” she said.
MORE: Colorful banners floated as possible response to KKK-affiliated group’s rally
The Honorable Sacred Knights plan to rally from 1-3 p.m with an estimated 10 to 20-plus individuals, according to the group’s permit application, which was approved by the county last month.
The first permit application by the Honorable Sacred Knights contained a fictitious name, according to the county. Montgomery County had the group resubmit the application with a legitimate name. After a review and consultation with law enforcement and legal counsel, the county approved the permit by the applicant Robert Morgan, who provided a Madison, Ind., post office box address.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors domestic hate and extremist groups, added the Indiana group to its “hate map” this year. The SPLC also lists the New Black Panther Party as a hate group active in several states, but not those in Ohio.
RELATED: Groups like the KKK preach white power but shun 'hate' label
Domineck, chair of the Dayton chapter of the New Black Panther Party, said a violent local response to the Klan’s activities will not be tolerated.
As the Klan group rallies, the Dayton Unit NAACP will hold a family-friendly, block-party style celebration at McIntosh Park at the intersection of Edwin C. Moses Blvd. and West Riverview Avenue.
“A Community Celebration: An Afternoon of Love, Unity Peace & Diversity” will feature speakers and music. Its more than a dozen community partners include the city of Dayton and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re giving people an alternative to the negativity that’s going to be happening downtown,” said Derrick Foward, Dayton Unit NAACP president.
The NAACP will also lead a May 26 ceremonial cleansing of Courthouse Square, similar to the organization’s response following a 1994 KKK rally in the public space.
The gathering will serve to, “sweep the hatred right out of our community,” Foward said.
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