KKK Rally Stirs Racial Tension

The Ku Klux Klan and a black militant group came to this small town Saturday - the first group to deny involvement in the brutal murder of a black man, the other group blaming them for what they called a racially motivated slaying.

James Byrd Jr., 49, was chained to a pickup truck June 7 and dragged along a winding rural road. His body was ripped to pieces over 2 and 1/2 miles. Three white men, Shawn Berry and John King, both 23, and Lawrence Brewer Jr., 31, are charged with the slaying. Prosecutors may seek the death penalty.

A policeman stands guard during rally.

"Jasper is part of the invisible empire," said Rick Anderson, grand titan of the Knights of the White Kamellia, based in nearby Vidor. "Make no mistake about it, this is Klan country."

Ringed by state troopers in riot gear, Klansmen waved Confederate flags at the courthouse square and shouted racist slogans as some spectators jeered. But law officers stepped in to block any confrontations.

At least one arrest was made as a scuffle broke out between departing Klansmen and militants.

About a dozen armed black militants failed twice to pass through a police barricade. One militant, former Nation of Islam spokesman Khalid Muhammad, threatened law officers after he was rebuffed.

"Black people, we can take these bastards," he yelled. "We can run over the damn police and take their ass. Who's with me?"

But Muhammad retreated to a point about a block away from the Klan march where black militants were allowed to keep their guns. But militants then circled the barricade, confronting Klan members who were departing the square about 1:30 p.m.

The arrest came, law officers said, when several militants began rocking one of the five vehicles carrying Klan members. Officers in riot gear body-blocked militants to keep them away.

Earlier Saturday, Klan leader Michael Lowe of Waco said the two-hour rally was a chance to disavow the crime that stunned the nation.

"We're here to condemn the murder of Mr. Byrd and to say we had nothing to do with it," said Lowe, who serves as regional director of the KKK's operations in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. "It's a tragedy."

Authorities in the East Texas community braced themselves for the KKK and the New Black Panther Party, which said it would have armed members in town to protect blacks. Lowe insisted the rally would be peaceful.

Anti-rally protesters hold signs.

"Let this horrendous violation of the sanctity of life not be a spark that ignites more hatred and retribution," the family said. "Rather, let this be a wake-up call for America for all Americans. May it spark a new cleansing fire of self-examination and reflection."

Earlier this week, an attorney for the New Black Panther Party said members would be in town with shotguns. Malik Z. Shabazz said some members will "monitor" the Klan rally while others will be stationed near the homes of black residents.

Some Jasper residents said they were dreading the showdown.

Through clenched teeth, they voiced their contempt for Michael Lowe as he staged impromptu news conferences Friday to hype the rally.

"We're praying for rain," one woman said as she spied Lowe surrounded by reporters. "It would be God's own miracle," added a friend.

As Lowe met with reporters, Sheriff Billy Rowles huddled with area law officers to review security plans. Jasper streets were to be closed to car traffic for a two-block radius around the courthouse.

At the Democratic State Convention in San Antonio, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said he hoped Jasper residents would stay away from the Klan rally.

"They need an audience, and people in Jasper ought go fishing," he said. "This is a time to choose healing and hope over hate, hurt and hostility."