Posted on 08/16/2017 10:10:36 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A measure to ban the Ku Klux Klan in Oklahoma has been launched through an online petition.
The petition, powered through the Aavaaz website, was created by a person only identified as "Nikolas T." and posted on Sunday.
On the petition itself, the creator writes "The Ku Klux Klan is a hate group and should be labeled as such. The Black Panther Party actually provided practical and useful help for their community, yet they were labeled a hate group and systematically dismantled by the CIA and FBI. The KKK has and will always be a hate group and still exists to this day. Recent hate‐fueled action in Charlottesville, VA as well as numerous other examples of the use of violence and intimidation by members of the KKK, have helped spark this petition. There is no room for a group like this in our state or our country!"
As of Wednesday, the petition obtained more than 100 signatures; however, the goal is to reach 1,000 with the intent to be delivered to the Oklahoma Legislature and policy makers.
District 82 Representative Kevin Calvey says he supports the spirit of banning the KKK in states and would join individuals who would denounce the group.
"Even my own family has suffered at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan in decades past and obviously I have no use for them and no reasonable person should," says Representative Calvey. "The answer though, it seems to me, is to denounce them and let responsible and good speech overcome the bad rather than to ban it which could have actually the opposite effect. It could end up galvanizing mal-contended people inadvertently."
The Southern Poverty Law Center reports as of 2015, there were at least 10 KKK chapters in Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the KKK had a heavier presence in the state in the 1920's when members were active in recruitment and growing their membership.
Larry O'Dell serves as Director of Special Projects and Development for the Oklahoma Historical Society. He says currently, there is not a huge KKK presence in Oklahoma.
"In Oklahoma, in the 20`s they were responsible for a lot of violence, especially in the Southeastern Oklahoma," says O'Dell. "They had a strong presence in Tulsa. They built one of the biggest KKK headquarters in the south in Tulsa."
The petition will require more than just support. According to Dr. Joseph Thai, a professor of law at the University of Oklahoma, banning groups like the KKK are a violation of the First Amendment and would be struck down quickly in court.
"Whether it is a racist group, a hate group...a group with messages that would be offensive to most of the population, it doesn't matter. The point of the first amendment is to protect speech that we don't like," explains Thai.
However, he adds no constitutional rights are absolute and that includes the freedom of speech.
"If they are inciting violence and it is likely that their speech will actually incite violence, that's the First Amendment line," he says. "That's when they would cross the line from speech that's protected by the first amendment to speech that's protected by the first amendment to speech that can be prohibited by the government."
To view a copy of the petition, click here.
Ban the democrat party as well. they are the ones responsible for slavery. Make them pay reparations.
Are they going to ban the Communist Party also?
okay
Slow news day in Oklahoma, I guess.
“Nikolas T” and his message is one that has been making the rounds of the internet, esp. he defense of the murderous Black Panther Party, which killed over one dozen or more police officers and wounded many more up to and including their successor, the Black Liberation Army (Nyack NY police and Brinks’ driver murder in 1981, along with the white Marxist terrorists the Weather Underground - May 19th Coalition).
This looks like an “internet troll” project by one person or group and the fools fall for it.
The Black Panthers killed more black people than white people And the West Coast version was created mostly to kiss up to rich white people.
I doubt it. The,Black Panthers get a pat on the back,so I doubt that the commie party has anything to worry about here.
If they wanted to get rid of the KKK they would ignore them. Keep giving them the outrage they crave and a few assholes will keep yankin your chains.
The Black Panther Party actually provided practical and useful help for their communityOf course a báichī who uses the SPLC as a source would believe garbage like that.
[ They should ban the KKK, and see the ACLU rush to defend them. ]
I agree, maybe start arresting anyone wearing NAZI garb during demonstrations on charges of incitement.
No, I haven’t gone crazy by betraying people’s rights to be idiots.
I just wanna see the left start sputtering when some of these Antifa get arrested for dressing up AS NAZIs and exposed for trying to “Agitate from Both Sides”
[ If they wanted to get rid of the KKK they would ignore them. Keep giving them the outrage they crave and a few assholes will keep yankin your chains. ]
Agreed, the neo-NAZIs and the Klan were slowly dying out until Obama stomped his foot on the politics of race from the opposite side. Now you have people who are younger who are infusing new blood into these vile groups because they have been abused both personally by government policies and culturally by the media for the last 8 years. You also have groups of people from the far left that use the toxicity of the NAZI and Klan brands to build up their little antifa groups and to also push the constant media narrative that “Trump Voter = Horrible Person” There are also people out there pretending to be NAZIs and Klan Retards because if gives them both attention and the cheapest political bang for their anti-trump buck.
Isn’t banning a group of People because of their personal or political beliefs sort of, you know, UNCONSTITUTIONAL?
Just askin’.
I thought I was living in the United States of America, a Constitutional Republic.
And so was the KKK.
Stirrings of fascism throughout the land.
Yes, they are PUNY!
I looked up and KKK membership is estimated between 5,000 and 8,000 ...i.e., a large urban high school or a medium sized college.
Yet the left acts like they are hiding under every rock...some big force to be reckoned with...Sheesh!
No idea how many Nazis there are (could not find numbers), but I am gong to guess a similar number...
We have a Constitution that guarantees free association. When you ban what group can associate with each other, you have instituted tyranny.
Wonder why the guy doesn’t just go all the way and ban the whole Democratic Party, and not just one of its numerous front groups?
how stupid all that does is make the racists hide so you don’t know where they are or who they are....beter to have them where an eye is kept on them....
muslims have killed a hell of a lot more people than the klan ever did yet states are embracing them- funny how they pick and choose which vile hateful groups they embrace or ban
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.