Read the Daily's coverage of the 1996 KKK rally:

Protesters march against KKK demonstration

KKK speaks out about protesters, views

KKK protesters crash city council meeting to denounce rally arrests

Ku Klux Klan rallies at City Hall

Police, peacekeepers help to control violence

Racist slurs flooded Ann Arbor City Hall Saturday afternoon as 37 Ku Klux Klan members held a rally, protected from violent projectile-wielding protesters by fences and barricades. Demonstrators were hit with tear gas and pepper spray while trying to reach the Klan.

An estimated 300 "Smash the KKK" protesters, led by the National Women's Rights Organizing Coalition, were squarely matched by about 300 law enforcement officials from University, city, county and state agencies.

WARREN ZINN/Daily An Anti-Klan demonstrator runs from tear gas sprayed by the police. Tear gas and pepper spray were used to keep the crowd under control during the two-hour rally on the steps of City Hall on Saturday.

The perimeter of City Hall was fenced and entry into the viewing area inside the fence was restricted to those searched by police for weapons. With music blaring and obscenities flying, KKK members stood behind a Plexiglas shield and additional fencing at the entrance of city hall.

Early in the protest, 27-year-old John Patton from Mount Clemens was hit over the head with a bottle as he stood barechested amidst the demonstrators outside with a tattoo proclaiming his "White Pride." Blood streamed down his face as members of the Peace Team, a group formed to maintain order, shielded him from further attacks.

Once inside the enclosure, Patton expressed disgust at the violence of the protesters.

"I came as a peaceful person," Patton said. "I got my head cracked open because I'm a white person, and I have a tattoo that says 'White Pride.' Can I not do that? You can't beat somebody because of an idea."

Outside the perimeter fence, on East Huron St., protesters attempted to tear down the barrier that prevented them from reaching the Klan. Members of the Peace Team, numbering around 115 volunteers, stood outside between the protesters and the fence while police officers lined the inside.

As protesters tugged down on the fence, peacekeepers pushed their bodies against the barrier, trying to stop the mob from breaching the perimeter. The Peace Team assaulted by protesters and several had their yellow shirts torn to shreds.

Police lining the inside pepper sprayed the attacking protesters twice, forcing them to retreat.

After failing to tear down the fence, protesters stormed a City Hall entrance on East Anne St. Demonstrators tore down a fence and held it over their heads like a trophy.

Dozens of protesters stormed the promenade, forcing the police to retreat within city hall since they were not prepared for the attack. Demonstrators then threw rocks and other projectiles at the windows of City hall, shattering several, while others destroyed light fixtures attached to the promenade.

After regrouping, the police reappeared on the promenade donning combat gear and shot several canisters of tear gas into the crowd.

Rioters streamed away from City Hall, coughing and red in the face as the gas spread to a large area around the promenade. As a precaution, many local businesses were closed and ATM machines were shut off. One unidentified male broke a large window at the Bank of Ann Arbor and then ran away.

As a security measure, Ann Arbor Police Chief Carl Ent ordered the KKK members to cease their rally as soon as the fence was breached on the promenade. The group was escorted away after the crowds had dissipated.

Law enforcement officials said no arrests were made but video footage and photographs would be used later to identify law-breakers. Five people were slightly injured, four from gas inhalations and one from a mild laceration.

Many community leaders criticized NWROC's call for "militant" action, saying the group was promoting itself rather than the goals of the civil rights movement.

"NWROC is an incredibly clever publicity machine," said Matthew Lawrence, chaplain at Canterbury House. "What they're doing is creating a media circus."

"Smash the KKK" organizers defended their violent demonstration and called the peaceful city-endorsed rally at Wheeler Park a "diversion." LSA senior Jessica Curtin, an NWROC organizer, said people should not compare blacks' hatred of the Klan to the Klan's hatred of blacks.

"All hatred is not the same," Curtin said. "The hatred of the black community towards the Klan is not the same as the Klan lynching black people. It's worlds apart."

Despite the barriers preventing communication, Washtenaw County Community College first-year student Jamaal Benin attempted to speak to KKK members face to face when he walked up to the fence and Plexiglas separating the viewing gallery from the Klan.

"Why do they hide behind those fences," Benin asked. "Why don't they come out to speak to us? When I went up to them, they all just smiled and laughed and wouldn't talk to me. Why are the police protecting them, knowing what they stand for? It makes the city of Ann Arbor look bad."

Other observers supported the Klan's right to speak freely in Ann Arbor.

"I really don't agree with what they are saying, but it's more scary to me if they are not allowed to say it," said Anna McKay, an Ann Arbor resident.

A small gathering watched and some individuals screamed at the Klan from behind barricades in the viewing area. Most of the observers in the viewing gallery voiced strong opposition to the Klan, but a few KKK supporters were also present, most of whom were not Ann Arbor residents.

At a press conference after the event, Ent called this year's community response successful despite the use of tear gas and pepper spray, and praised the yellow-clad peacekeepers for their prominent assistance.

"I have to give a lot of credit to the peacekeepers," Ent said. "I guess I am forever blue because of the uniform, but today I love yellow."

The protesters began the day on the steps of the Michigan Union at 11 a.m. and marched to City Hall, shouting slogans such as "KKK go away! You can't have our streets today!" and "KKK, coming to town. What do we do? Shut them down!"

Once at City Hall, the protesters milled around the perimeter and continued to shout while waiting for the Klan to appear at 1 p.m. Another group came to the protest carrying Chinese dragons, playing tambourines, singing and hitting a piñata shaped like a Klan hood in an attempt to draw attention away from the KKK rally.

"Our main goal was to create a diversion," said Jyl Ream, a Community High student who animated the tail of the dragon. "There's a bunch of energy around here. It's better to hit a piñata than hit other people."

Many observers came to watch the rally and protest out of simple curiosity, but some said the event could serve as a history lesson.

"Why not?" said 41-year-old Rodney Tyler, from Ann Arbor, when asked why he attended the rally. "They would let me bring in my camcorder. I wanted to record it and show it to my kids later, to show them ignorance on the side of both white and black."

05-11-98