The best way to deal with the Klan is to leave them alone

On Saturday, the loony tunes will once again congregate at the intersection of Fifth and Huron. Yes, the Ku Klux Klan will be there, but so will numerous people hell-bent on preventing the Klan from saying anything. City Hall will temporarily become a minefield of hatred and anger - from both sides.

Wait, let me get this out of the way before I go on. Yes, the KKK is a bunch of hate-mongering idiots. And no, I don't want them here anymore than anyone else. But being as fond of the First Amendment as I am (remember that "free speech" stuff ?), I believe they have the right to hide behind their little white outfits and spout their dogma. Others on this campus, however, don't agree.

"Smash the KKK!" read signs that have been plastered across campus for weeks in anticipation of Saturday's event. Yes, our friends at BAMN/NWROC/insert-your-acronym-here-please are planning to protest the KKK, giving the group exactly what it wants.

Jack Schillaci Slam It to the Left

Yes, you heard me correctly.

All the KKK want is a little reaction. They want to get up on their soapbox and vomit up every racial slur known to man, and they want you to pay attention. If they don't get the attention they want, they probably would not come back for another visit.

Protesting them and threatening to shut them down "by any means necessary" will not solve the problem - in fact, it will likely just strengthen their resolve. Furthermore, hurling rocks at the Klan and putting everyone at the rally in grave physical danger will not make a significant impact on anyone's mind.

The flier goes further, calling Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and her ilk "racist" for giving the KKK a permit and insulting the police for trying to maintain some semblance of order on the city street. Hopefully, the city will have the foresight this year to step up police protection.

The flier calls the city's reaction to the new rally - a "unity" rally to be held away from the ruckus at City Hall - "hypocritical garbage." But if it prevents the formation of violent backlash against the Klan, it does its job in my book.

You've got to fight speech with speech. You've got to speak louder than the racists - not try to prevent them from speaking at all.

Maybe once the organizers of these events get past their terrible twos, they'll realize that throwing rocks at the Klan will not shut them down. But ignoring them may. The Klan are coming to the relatively liberal atmosphere of Ann Arbor for one reason and one reason only: to get the kind of violent reaction they got last time, so they stand behind a guise of self-righteousness.

Don't give them the pleasure. Spend Saturday on the Diag eating ice cream or something. Let the Klan babble all they want - their efforts will probably prove pretty fruitless if no one is there to hear them. Don't stoop to their level by dignifying their existence with your attendance.

- Jack Schillaci will be at home watching reruns of "Law & Order" on Saturday. You can reach him over e-mail at jschilla@umich.edu.

05-05-98