On February 27, four members of the Ku Klux Klan were stabbed at a KKK rally in Anaheim, Calif. It’s funny how the tables have turned and the media has come to portray the anti-KKK protesters as the violent ones rather than the members of the KKK who went to “peacefully rally.” I don’t think the word peaceful could ever be used in association with the KKK, a group that is known for brutally murdering and attacking Blacks and Jews since 1865. Although only an estimated 8,000 members of the KKK remain active today, the fact that this group still legally exists calls into question whether groups that have historically promoted violence and racism should be legally allowed to assemble.
While discussing this issue with my dad, he said, “Once you believe in something, like freedom of assembly, you have to stick with it. It’s not logical to say I believe that all people have the right to come together and collectively express and defend their ideas except for this group.”
Although I do agree that defending a belief and not making exceptions to your belief is important, where do we draw the line? Does any group, even those that not only promote and express their ideas, but have actively committed malicious crimes have the right to get together and use their animosity to defend themselves. Even in recent years, a crucial part of initiation into this organization has been to kill someone. Of course, we are generally protected by such crimes and it would be impossible to deny anyone who intimidates another group or person legal rights, but this organization really cannot compare to any other because of the history they carry with them.
For anyone who is Black or Jewish, seeing a member of the Ku Klux Klan can not only be horrifying, but also extremely painful to know that members of this group executed so many of their ancestors and, if given the opportunity today, probably still would. Some argue that it would be impossible to stop the bad ideas in the United States without also stopping the good ones as well and to some extent this does hold true. On the other hand, I find it fascinating that hate crimes, rape, and murder are all illegal in the United States, yet it is apparently legal for a group promoting these ideas to gather.
I strongly believe that until this group is banned from legally assembling, we will have a very difficult time solving racism and the crimes that too often come along with it. The Ku Klux Klan is the closest thing we have to a terrorist organization stemming from the United States, and giving them the right to assemble lends support to them planning attacks, crimes, and spreading hate in America. Freedom of assembly is one thing, but I can’t imagine the KKK assembling without promoting hate and ensuing violence. Inevitably, we must decide which is more important; granting the right to assemble to everyone or making a change so we can work to end hate and racism in America.
