S16 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, July 3, 1996 -~1 Protesters march against KKK demonstration By Erena Baybik Daily Staff Reporter What began as a calm demonstration against the *Ku Klux Klan on June 22 ended in chaos, with eight arrests, shattered windows and canisters of tear gas exploding in the streets. Hundreds of Ann Arbor residents appeared at the city's Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Municipal Building on that Saturday afternoon to demonstrate their discontent for the historically racist organization. Two hundred seventy-seven University, local, county and state police officers lined the streets surrounding the city hall building as the anti-KKK protesters arrived, marching up East Huron street chanting: "No free speech for KKK -- let's shut them down, let's do it today." Although the rally began with few problems, a. Carl Ent, chief of the Ann Arbor Police Department, said the demonstrators began hurling bottles and bricks at both the Klansmen and the police. One of the Klan members, the wife of the National Imperial Wizard, Jeff Berry, received a minor head injury when she was hit by a rock thrown by one of the demonstrators. Ent said at that point, the police were instructed to use mace, tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. "Our mission was to ensure public safety, main- tain public order and protect the First Amendment rights for all the people that were present," Ent said in a press conference following the rally. "I feel very comfortable with the expertise and plan that was used. I feel very comfortable that we are doing everything we could to prepare for this" The 15 Klan members arrived in unmarked police vans and spoke from the second-level bal- cony of the city hall building, separated from the crowd by police and fencing that displayed signs saying that anyone who touched the fence would be maced. One of the main goals of Ann Arbor Organizing Against the Klan (AAOAK), a union of several organizations, was to disrupt the Klan rally and prevent the Klan members from being heard. "We hope to shut them down and we're prepared to do whatever means we have available," said Jodi Masley, an RC senior and protest organizer. "In terms of violence, the Klan are the perpetrators of it - we believe in self-defense, we have to come out and defend ourselves." While some protesters said they felt the KKK had no right to speak because of what they advo- cated, others said they believed that everyone has a right to be heard. "Demonstration is important - the KKK has every right to voice their opinions, but we don't have to stand for it," said Keshia Thomas, a recent Huron High School graduate who has been the focus of national attention after she shielded a man wearing a shirt bearing the Confederate flag from the blows of other protesters. "If I hit someone, it won't change their view - you must use your head and your voice." Several protesters showed concern for the amount of tax money spent to ensure safety. "They're welcome to speak, but to spend so much money to have them protected like this is wrong," said recent University graduate Percy Herrero. Confusion and chaos broke out once the police began to tear gas and mace the crowd. "They're tear-gassing the hell out of them and it's just considered crowd control," said Julie Lubeck, a University graduate. "For Ann Arbor, this is the most violent the police have ever been, said Lisa Schlicker, a member of the Detroit branch of the Free Mumia Coalition. "They were harassing people excessively." The protesters retreated to Main St., but along the way, two protesters hurled rocks at the Washtenaw County Courthouse, smashing three windows and one glass door. Protesters also hollered at patrons eating outside at the One-Eyed Moose restaurant, angrily demanding that they "get off their ass." Aleksas Lahti, an Ann Arbor resident and an on- looker at the rally, criticized the crowd. "They're just about as big of jerks as the Klan is," Lahti said. "What kind of good are they going to do?" One protester was rushed to the hospital for a broken leg. Thirty officers were treated for exposure to chemical irritants, but none were seriousy hurt. In total, security costs for the rally cost the city $55,788. Police enforcement alone cost $37,240. Ent said that in his opinion, the officers showed a lot of restraint. "Any actions done were in response to the crowd," lie said. -Dai/v New s Editor Katie Wang contributed to this report. Ann Arbor resident Keshia Thomas tries to shield the body of Albert McKeel Jr. from the angry blows cW her fellow anti-KKK protestors on June 22. McKee) was wearing a shirt bearing the Confederate flag. KKK speaks out about protesters, views By Nathan Huebner Dtaily Staff Reporter Many people have claimed that the Ku Klux Klan provoked the violence and rioting that occurred at the rally on June 22, and that they should not have been there. The KKK members, on the other hand, say that they were only exer- cising their First Amendment rights. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, the National Imperial Wizard Jeff Berry of Butler, Ind., claimed that the protesters at the rally behaved improp- erly and were out of line. "Animal behavior - that's what it was," he said. "We're a peaceful organization. We just wanted to express our First Amendment rights,' he said. Fifteen "knights" from the Klan spoke from atop the Municipal Building roof to a crowd of several hun- dred protesters. Their message, howev- er, could barely be heard through the noise of the chanting crowd. "We want to make people see what the government is doing to us with affirmative action and gun control," Berry said. "They're trying totake away our rights." Almost 300 local police officers were employed at the rally to keep the crowd under control . The rally got violent, however, when protesters against the KKK began throwing rocks and sticks as the Klan members were leaving. One of the Klan members, Berry's wife, suffered a minor injury when she was hit in the head with a rock. Although many of the protesters have blamed the police response to the crowd for the vio- lent situation Berry said he 'a believes they were not responsible. Of Keshia Thomas, the Ypsilanti resident who shielded a JONATHAN LURiE/Daily man wearing a Ann Arbor resident Keshia Thomas falls to the ground on June 22 as police officers take away another shirt bearing the anti-KKK protestor. Confederate flag from attacking protesters, Berry said, Berry defined Klan thoughts about Berry also said that the Klan woo d "God bless her. She did the right thing" people of color and of Jewish return to Ann Arbor some time next } Berry expressed anger over the pub- descent: "We're against them. We're to hold another rally. "I think the people lic attitude toward the KKK. "People against interracial marriages. We go in Ann Arbor need to keep the gangs and call us a hate group but we didn't show by the Bible and it says to marry in riffraff away from our next rally," Berry no hate at the rally," he said. your own tribe." said.