by Bryan Pfeifer
The Ku Klux Klan were dealt a humiliating defeat at their kick-off rally for a mass statewide recruitment drive Dec. 6 in Beloit due to massive pressure from progressive organizations, including A Job is a Right Campaign. The Klan said they held their recruitment rally in Beloit because of the city’s large number of people of color. Advance coverage in the mainstream media had hundreds of Klan members and supporters descending on the city, but less than a dozen members showed up, attracting about ten supporters. These were shouted down by unified protesters and eventually driven out of town under police escort. Seven protesters and one Klan supporter were arrested during the protest.
The protesters in Beloit included the Madison Greens and Democracy Unlimited from Madison. Other cities represented were Janesville, Freeport, Chicago, Gary and St. Louis. About 100 local residents also attended. Freedom of Resistance, an anti-racist organization based in Freeport Ill., organized a counter rally and march to the Beloit courthouse where the Klan assembled for their rally.
Before leaving for Beloit, Milwaukee protesters attended a "Unity Send-Off Rally" hosted by America’s Black Holocaust Museum. The rally featured James Cameron, the museum’s founder, and included speakers from various organizations such as Education for the People, A Job is a Right Campaign, W-2 Workers United, American Jewish Committee, Wisconsin Injured Workers Network, and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of Mexico.
Other Milwaukee organizations attending the send-off rally and the Beloit protest included People United for Equality, the United Spiritual Soldiers, and Workers World. Members of the Fruit of Islam from Muhammad Mosque No. 3 provided security for Mr. Cameron.
In an interview following the protest against the Klan in Beloit, Mr. Cameron addressed some issues related to the Klan. In 1931, Mr. Cameron narrowly escaped death at the hands of a KKK lynch mob in Marion, Ind. Asked why he attended the rally and protest in Beloit, he said, "I want the Ku Klux Klan to know that they are the most despicable organization in the world."
In response to people who think if the Klan is left alone they will just go away, Mr. Cameron said, "We have to let people know that we don’t like certain things in this country--if not, they’ll keep proliferating and build up on us. They say, ‘Stay away and don’t notice the Klan.’ How are you going to stay away and don’t notice the Klan, the way they go around talking about people, bad mouthing them. We need a law against racism in this country to go with slander and libel."
In response to the police presence in Beloit, which included over 300 police officers from throughout southern Wisconsin, Mr. Cameron said, "If they didn’t have police protection, the Klan would never dare show their face."
Mr. Cameron also addressed the future rallies that the Klan says they intend to have in Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee by saying, "I plan to go to all the protests -- yes, anywhere. The Klan should be stamped out by any means possible."
Asked what concerned people can do to protest the Klan, Mr. Cameron said, "It’s best when you’re getting ready to go on a protest, it’s best to have someplace to meet where you get together and then get on the bus or get in the cars and form a caravan and go on over there--just as long as people meet to go to the Klan rally.
For more information on future Klan protests in Wisconsin or to help support those arrested protesting the KKK rally in Beloit, contact A Job is a Right Campaign.