KKK Fails To Show At Douglasville Rally On Sunday

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — The Ku Klux Klan was a no-show at its own rally Sunday in Douglasville.

Members of a Mississippi KKK group had planned to gather at the Douglas County Courthouse to protest the prison sentences handed recently to two Confederate flag supporters who harassed minorities, brandished weapons and shouted racial slurs and death threats at a child's birthday party.

But, in the end, no one identifying themselves as a Klan member showed up for the protest, which was planned for noon, Fox 5 reports.

The station reported that 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.

A roughly 30-minute exchange ended with people on both sides leaving peacefully, the report said. Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies and other law enforcement officers were on hand to monitor the situation.

Stephen Howard, the self-described "Imperial Wizard" of the Mississippi KKK group, had claimed that about 200 Klan members were going to show up for the protest.

He had said the group was angry about tough prison sentences received by Jose "Joe" Torres and Kayla Rae Norton last week.

On Monday, Superior Court Judge William McClain sentenced Torres, 26, to 20 years, with 13 to be served in prison, and Norton, 25, to 15 years with six years to serve. He also banished both of them from Douglas County upon the completion of their sentences.

The pair, who both wept openly as their sentences were announced, were convicted earlier this month of violating Georgia's street-gang terrorism law, among other crimes.

On July 24-25 of 2015, the two joined a group called Respect the Flag in what became a two-day, alcohol-fueled spree in Douglas and Paulding counties, during which they waved Rebel flags, hurled epithets and threatened several African-American citizens with weapons, including a shotgun.

Upon discovering a black child's birthday party, members of Respect the Flag pulled a shotgun and pointed it at party-goers, used racial slurs and threatened to kill people at the party.

The incident happened in the aftermath of the June 2015 shooting deaths of nine worshipers at a black church in Charleston, S.C. The case focused attention on shooter Dylann Roof's obsession with the Confederate battle emblem and led to backlash against the public display of the symbol.

Photos courtesy Douglas County Sheriff's Office