Morris Dees is an interesting character, I will say that. I'd say his influence in the state has been 50/50. Dees is responsible for the demise of the United Klans of America, and of itself, that deserves a major commendation.
Indeed it does. But I suspect Mr. Dees is far more interested in the financial rewards he reaped from that legal victory than any commendation. From Mr. Silverstein's article:
"In 1987, Dees won a $7 million judgment against the United Klans of America on behalf of Beulah Mae Donald, whose son was lynched by two Klansmen. The UKA's total assets amounted to a warehouse whose sale netted Mrs. Donald $51,875. According to a groundbreaking series of newspaper stories in the Montgomery Advertiser, the SPLC, meanwhile, made $9 million from fund-raising solicitations featuring the case, including one containing a photo of Michael Donald's corpse."
One should note that Mr. Dees is a professional fundraiser in addition to his calling as an attorney. In 1972 he was George McGovern's campaign finance director. In 1976 he served as Jimmy Carter's campaign finance director. He was national finance chairman for Ted Kennedy in 1980 during Kennedy's Democratic primary challenge to Carter.