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Page 3
Photo by Chris Duncan
Klan
Cont'd. from Page 1
threw anything that came to hand-including
eggs, wooden staves and an orange traffic
pylon. With the riot squad protecting the
Convention hall itself, three officers and an
unknown security guard were left to safely
remove the nco-Nazis.Ironically, the three
officers were black.
The procession turned away from the
Omni, but was turned back by traffic and a
vendor’s mall set up on a street in the Fairlee-
Poplar district The crowd, emboldened by
the lack of police intervention, threw several
of the skinheads to the ground, jumped on one
of their backs, and even threw themselves on
the ground in order to trip the fleeing
skinheads. Amazingly, the neo-Nazis only
suffered minor abrasions and cuts.
As the mob rounded the comer back
toward the convention and rally sites, the
shout went up that the neo-Nazis were only a
diversion to permit the Klan, who had not
heeded Nappcr's cancellation of their rally
permit, to safely reach the free speech area.
Any question of the
combustibility of the crowd or
the imminent danger present
was settled when the crowd of
25 Klan members and neo-
Nazis were surrounded by over
500 anti-racist demonstrators.
The ruse failed, however, as the Klan was
stopped two blocks short of their goal by
police officials who refused them entry
because they could not guarantee their safety.
Any question of the combustibility of the
crowd or the imminent danger present was
settled when the crowd of 25 Klan members
and neo-Nazis were surrounded by over 500
anti-racist demonstrators. Although the white
supremacists waved Confederate flags and
carried racist signs, they chose to stick to
homophobic chants, most notably "Thank
God for AIDS." Among the Klan marchers
was a young boy no older than seven, whose
face was covered with human spittle.The
Klan marchers were driven back into the
National Atlanta Garage, where they had to
await a police escort to safely conduct them
out of the area.
Surprising to most observers was the unity
of purpose between the odd assortment of
groups. Though definitely present, gay men
and lesbians did not make up the majority of
anti-racists. Yet the crowd overwhelmingly
backed the gay/lesbian onlookers, joining
them in chants and seemingly enjoying the
taunting given to the Klan members by those
Unidentified skinheads brace for trouble
during a confrontation between the
group of nine skinheads and an angry
crowd of counter demonstrators.
"Raucus Caucus" Kicks Off Busy
Convention Week
Photo by Chris Duncan
A skinhead and counter demonstrator
during the melee outside the
Democratic National Convention.
gay men and lesbians present. When one
man shouted at the Klan members, "Hey,
honey, I’m, gay, and if you come over here
I’m going to kick your a..," two elderly black
women urged him on. When questioned, the
women declined to give their names, and said
that they weren't exactly comfortable with
gay/lesbian sexuality. But, they added,
anyone willing to "kick some Klan a.." had to
be all right
The groups present in the anti-Klan potest
are all known for their vociferous defense of
their own first amendment rights of free
speech. When asked to explain the
discrepancy between that position and their
demand that the white supremacists not be
allowed their turn to speak, they universally
pointed to the international law which bans
hate groups which preach genocide, such as
the KKK and other white supremacy groups.
GAP AC (Greater Atlanta Political
Awareness Coalition) kicked off Convention
week on Saturday night with a "Raucus
Caucus" that lived up to its name. As the first
social event of a very busy week, the Caucus
was well-attended by both local and national
politicians and activists. More than 300
people filled the room for an evening of
dancing, and political and not-so-pohtical
socializing.
Throughout the evening MJ. Murray,
Chair of GAP AC recognized attendants active
in the political arena. Nationally, those in
attendence included Barney Frank (D-MA);
Mike Gelpi, openly gay Congressional
candidate from Ohio; Jean O'Leary, Director
of National Gay Rights Advocates; Vic
Basile, Executive Director of the Human
Rights Campaign Fund, and Mayor John
Laird of Santa Cruz, among others. Locally,
Murray recognized HRCF board members.
Jackie Johnson, Ann McAllister and Slosh
Ostrow, and openly gay candidates for the
Ga. House of Representatives Dick Rhodes
and Gil Robison.
The evening raised $3,000 which,
according to Murray, will be added to a fund
designated for election contributions. "The
money will go a long way to funding election
efforts", she stated. "It was a tremendously
successful event, and it's a real pleasure to see
local organizations producing activities for a
national effort which are so well attended by
local and national people alike."
Murray was quick to point out that John
Hausler and Phyllis DiPietro worked very
hard on the Caucus and were largely
responsible for its success. Hausler, President
of the Atlanta Business and Professional
Guild, chaired the coordination for the
evening's events, and DiPietro, a local DJ,
donated her time.
Other rallies and marches scheduled for
the rest of the convention week are not
expected to draw any violent counter
protests. A lesbian/gay rally sponsored by
the Atlanta Democratic club Legislate
Equality for Gays And Lesbians (LEGAL)
held a half hour after the Klan stand-off was
peaceful, with many of the anti-racist
protesters staying on. As one Atlanta police
officer pointed out under condition of
anonymity, Slone Mountain is only 20 miles
east of the convention site, and the largest
Klan organization in the country is based
there. Said the officer, "I sincerely hope they
don't come back down here, because if they
do, they'll be carrying guns next time, and
blood doesn't clean up nearly as easily as
spit"
-Chris Duncan
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