KKK Sign In Dahlonega Incites Raw Emotions And Controversy

DAHLONEGA, Ga. ­­— Local politics appears to have been the reason behind the pro-Ku Klux Klan sign planted atop a downtown Dahlonega building last week, but the move has cast the entire north Georgia city in an unfavorable light while potentially exacerbating racial tensions bubbling underneath the surface.

And it doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

An employee of the building’s owner, Roberta Green-Garrett, has picked up an application to return the sign to the Public Square building as early as next week, according to the Dahlonega Nugget.

“An employee on behalf of landowner Roberta [Green-Garrett] has picked up an application to put the sign back on the building,” Mayor Gary McCullough told the newspaper. “That's all I'm allowed to say about it.”

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The sign, which called the building a “Historic Ku Klux Klan Meeting Hall,” followed on the heels of a recent controversy involving Green-Garrett, who has tried to repeatedly tear down a neighboring building in the hopes of replacing it with a luxury hotel.

However, the Dahlonega City Council and Planning & Zoning Board have consistently stymied the various versions of her plans in the wake of protests from local preservation groups who desired to see the old building remain because of its historical significance, the newspaper reported.

The sign was taken down because it violated city sign ordinances, but now Dahlonega officials brace for the possibility that the 84-year-old Green-Garrett could do everything legally required of her and exercise her First Amendment right to put the KKK flags and Confederate emblem back up on her own building.

Worried citizens have taken to the streets to protest what they see as a statement of hate. A local “unity” march was held last week in response by a close-knit community they say is not indicative of the actions by Green-Garrett.

“Choices of expression by one or two people are not representative of our community as a whole,” according to a statement on the City of Dahlonega website, “and recent episodes are not indicative of a change in our character or philosophy,”

The incident, while relatively small in scope, underscores the hidden racial tensions that often came to an ugly head across the nation during the contentious presidential election that resulted in the presidency of Donald Trump.

The story has become a national one, but Dahlonega officials are nonetheless trying to their best face forward.

“The City of Dahlonega is a welcoming community for people of diverse backgrounds, interests, goals and ideals,” according to the statement on the city website. “Our award-winning small town of meaningful rich history is home to over 5,000 residents and warmly receives several hundred thousand visitors a year, including hundreds of domestic and international guests daily. Our reputation and brand have been built over decades by the hard work of thousands of individuals. At no time have we been home to an active group of known white supremacists.”

The episode is the latest racially-charged one in Georgia involving the KKK. A Mississippi-based chapter of the hate group had planned a rally in Douglasville on Sunday to protest the recent stiff prison sentences given to two Confederate flag supporters who had terrorized minorities by brandishing weapons, shouting racial slurs and making death threats at a child’s birthday party.

Only nobody identifying themselves as members of the Klan showed up for the noon protest, according to a Fox 5 report.

The station said there were a few tense moments as Confederate flag backers faced off with about 100 counter-protesters who showed up to face down the Klan.

Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies were on hand to monitor things, but people on both sides eventually left peacefully.

Stephen Howard, the self-described “Imperial Wizard” of the Mississippi KKK group, had claimed that about 200 Klan members would show up for the protest.

He said his group was angry about the tough prison sentences handed out last week to Jose “Joe” Torres and Kayla Rae Norton.

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