After the recent Ku Klux Klan rally in Anaheim resulted in people being stabbed and injured, a few burning questions arose. How can an organization with such a hateful message continue to exist for over 100 years? How can the KKK be stopped? And what can be done to avoid any future tragic events of that nature?
The United States Constitution grants everyone in the US, among other things, the right to free speech. This includes people with messages of hate and ignorance.
The constitution does not limit free speech to people with something intellectual to say . Free speech cannot be restricted because the ideas being shared are unpopular.
In the Supreme Court case Nationalist Socialist Party v. Village of Skokie, the National Socialist Party of America, a group of american Nazi sympathizers, wanted to have a parade in the village of Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago with a large amount of jewish residents.
When the NSPA was denied the right to have a parade the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which decided their speech cannot be restricted just because it was hateful or unpopular.
If the government can’t stop the KKK from spreading hate and ignorance, how can they be stopped? The best course of action is to ignore the hate and educate the ignorance.
The KKK is always seeking attention. Good, bad, or otherwise, the KKK wants attention and will do whatever they can to get people to notice their organization.
Like a screaming toddler crying because he doesn’t get what he wants, or a current presidential candidate who refused to disavow a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, they need to be ignored.
When the NSPA finally did have their parade in the village of Skokie, the people were all gone. Because the NSPA had to announce when their parade was going to be held, residents decided to be gone during the time of the parade.
The KKK announced that their rally would be held on February 27. Residents of Anaheim had plenty of time to make arrangements to be out of the area on the date of the rally so nobody would be around to hear their message of hate.
If a KKK rally happens in the middle of the woods and nobody is around to hear it does it make a sound?
Many students and faculty said the best way to deal with the KKK is to ignore them.
Because the KKK has been around for so long, they most likely won’t be stopped, but as long as they are being non-violent then they just need to be ignored.
“Some people see it as evil, some people don’t,” said Marcos Mejia, an automotive major.
Because of their long history it seems like it would be next to impossible to convince the KKK how wrong their way of thinking is.
The KKK is filled with people who have been taught for generations that white people are superior to all other races simply because of the color of their skin, and are surrounded by people who reinforce this misguided way of thinking.
“The best way to deal with groups like that is education,” said Dan Conforti, Political Science professor at Fullerton College.
It would take generations of education to help people see through the ignorance of the KKK. Fullerton College is good example how that education can be effective to bring people together.
Conforti also described Fullerton College as a, “United Nations like” campus.
“The more contact you have with different people the less racism you’ll have,” Conforti said.
There are students from all walks of life at Fullerton College. All races and religions are welcomed and celebrated.
Fullerton College stands as an example of what life could be like if everybody accepted people for what is on the inside not what is on the outside.