ASHEBORO — The KKK is not welcome in Asheboro.

“The message of hate is not something that we're particularly interested in being associated with,” Mayor David Smith said Monday.

“It's contrary to what we believe. It's contrary to what most people in Asheboro believe. It's contrary to the message of the City of Asheboro. Our position is, don't come here.”

The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, based in Pelham, an unincorporated community about 40 miles north of Burlington, recently announced on its website that it will hold a rally in Asheboro on May 6. The announcement does not say where such a rally would be held.

The group did not respond to a message seeking comment.

According to a story in the News & Observer, the group has held other events, including a parade through Roxboro in December. The parade, to celebrate Donald Trump's presidential election victory, drew more than 100 participants.

Holding a march on city streets requires a permit and using a city facility such as Bicentennial Park for an event requires a rental agreement. The city has not received a request from the group for either.

“We would just as soon not have that group and what they represent show up in Asheboro, but they have every right to their opinion and what they have to say,” Smith said. “We would prefer that they not be here in Asheboro, but we would treat them just like we would anybody else.”

The group's website says a rally will include “klavern meeting, speeches, dinner, klan items and the most important the crosslighting at dark!”

There is no public place in the city where a cross burning would be permitted, Smith said.

Smith's words echoed what he said in a press release from the city on Sunday:

“The people of Asheboro have worked too hard to unify our community to let an outside group come in and spread racist views without raising our voices loudly in protest. They may have a right to peacefully assemble, but we also have a right to object at the top of our collective voice.

“… It's a shame that we spent countless hours collaborating as a community to win the coveted All-America City award last year, only to be reminded that forces of division are out there seeking to tear communities down. If anything, this announcement strengthens my resolve to make Asheboro the most inclusive and welcoming city in North Carolina to all.”

Walker opposes rally

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), who represents Randolph County in the 6th District, released a statement in response to the reported KKK rally:

“I despise bringing any awareness to such despicable behavior; however, such hate needs to be rebuked. The KKK rally planned for May in Randolph County is a reminder of the hateful ideologies that exists within a minuscule group.

“The Scriptures state 'anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.' This darkness is saturated in ignorance, denying that God has created every man, woman, boy and girl uniquely with exceptional skills and talent.

“The rally may be constitutional, but this group's message and legacy are an affront to our core value that all people are created equal. I would hope the people of North Carolina reject this behavior not with violence, but with actions that represent genuine love for all in our community.”

Randolph NAACP

The Asheboro/Randolph County NAACP also issued a press release about the prospects of a KKK rally in Asheboro.

It reads, in part:

“As an organization that embraces this all-American City, we hope that our community will come together to denounce any and all organizations that would attempt to bring divisiveness to our city.

“This organization will continue to fight for injustice in any form including women rights, human rights, immigration rights and the right to speak openly to our officials on all matters that affect the community at large.”

Counter demo planned

In a Facebook post on March 8, a group called the Silver Valley Redneck Revolt announced a counter demonstration to the KKK rally: “We need to let the Klan know that if they leave their enclaves their will be a broad response from the community,” the post said, in part. “This event is to publicly denounce the Klan, thier beliefs, and show that we will not back down.”

The Silver Valley group is part of a larger group named the Redneck Revolt. The following two excerpts from the Redneck Revolt website tell a little about the organization.

On community:

The concept of community is very important to our goals and intentions, because it separates us from those who work only in defense of their immediate family, property, and possessions. We find that many movements that uphold the concept of liberty do so only in an individualist mindset, which undermines the idea that liberty is something that all people are entitled to. We strongly believe that the concept of liberty can not truly exist on an individual level alone, and that any class, race, or state construct that enslaves and oppresses anyone among us is a threat to the liberty of all of us.

On white supremacy:

White supremacy is a system of violence and power that ensures that political, economic, and social power is withheld from people who aren't white.

As white working class people, we have all benefited to a certain extent from the system of white supremacy that exists within the United States. However, this same system, and our participation within it, have also ensured that white working class people will stay poor and also relatively powerless in this society.

The greatest threat to those that pull the political and economic strings in this society is a unified resistance movement among poor and working class people.

A spokesperson for the Silver Valley Redneck Revolt, one of more than 20 chapters across the United States, talked about the group on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of concerns for personal and family safety.

Plans have not been determined for when and where a counter-demonstration will be held or what will take place at the event. Some individuals from Randolph County and from elsewhere in the state have contacted the group to voice support for the counter-rally.

“The purpose is to say 'If you come out of your enclave, there will be a broad response from the community.' It won't be tolerated … There is an idea out there that if you ignore the klan, or you ignore white supremacists, they are going to disappear. That doesn't really have any basis in reality.

“You can't just ignore creeping fascism. You can't just ignore racism. This is something they're doing to support their worldview, and to induct new members, and it's important to keep tabs on it.”