White Supremacists Denied Parade Permit : Simi Valley: City officials say approval could be seen as endorsing the group’s views. The organization plans to march anyway.

Simi Valley will not issue a parade permit to the white supremacist National Movement but will not stop the right-wing group from marching Saturday in support of the verdicts in the Rodney G. King beating case, city officials said Tuesday.

By issuing a permit, the city might be seen as supporting the views of the Mississippi-based group, Simi Valley officials said. According to the National Movement’s permit application, the group promotes white supremacy, city officials said.

“Acting on behalf of the City Council and the citizens of this community, I cannot in good conscience issue this permit, which in the eyes of many could be inferred as official endorsement of their message,” City Manager Lin Koester said in a statement.

Organizers of a parade generally must obtain insurance and agree to pay for police and cleanup services.

Assistant City Manager Mike Sedell said members of the National Movement have said they are unable to pay for those services.

But, Sedell added, “at the same time, we recognize they have certain First Amendment rights and intend to act accordingly in that regard.”

He said police will be present to protect marchers and spectators during Saturday’s parade near the East County Courthouse, where a jury recently returned not guilty verdicts against four Los Angeles police officers accused of beating motorist King.

The proposed march is a setback to Simi Valley leaders’ efforts to distance the city from the trial. They have repeatedly pointed out that King was arrested in Los Angeles and that only two of the jurors were from Simi Valley.

Sedell said several people have called the city to say they will attend the march to protest it.

Nationalist Movement attorney Richard Barrett said Simi Valley officials have assured him that although his group has no parade permit, “there will be adequate police protection for those who attend and that the people’s right to speak, assemble, parade and petition will not be abridged in any way.”

His application estimated that about 150 people would take part in the parade, but Barrett said Tuesday that he is uncertain how many people will attend. He said the purpose of the march is to support the jurors, the four police officers, and “law, order and justice.”

Regarding the lack of a permit, Barrett said: “The piece of paper we have is the Constitution and the First Amendment.”

He said the parade will feature signs, music, speeches and flag-waving.

When asked if his organization advocates white supremacy, Barrett said its members are “American, pro-majority and nationalist.”

The Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and other forms of racial intolerance, has studied Barrett’s activities throughout the country in recent years. In a written profile, the league described him as “an inept but ambitious would-be white supremacist leader.”

Janet Himler, associate director of the league’s Los Angeles office, said she has heard from people who are concerned about Simi Valley’s image and are upset about Barrett’s proposed parade. Although the league has not organized any counterdemonstrations, Himler said she has encouraged anyone planning to do so to behave peacefully.

She said she is not surprised that Barrett is taking his cause to Simi Valley, site of the trial that provoked widespread racial unrest.

“Historically, what has happened with Richard Barrett is that he finds a tinderbox in society and attempts to act as a spark to set racism aflame,” Himler said.