Nation IN BRIEF : OHIO : Klan-Erected Cross Is Knocked Down

A Ku Klux Klan group erected a cross in the heart of Cincinnati before dawn, but within hours a passerby had knocked it down and by afternoon the city had hauled off the splintered remains as a nuisance. The passerby and another man who earlier tried to tear down the cross were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct. Police Chief Michael Snowden said the klan, which had a permit for the cross, was notified. “They’re more than welcome to make arrangements with us to put up another cross,” Snowden said. Police said the eight-foot white cross was installed by five men who said they were klansmen. The site was 200 feet from an 18-foot menorah erected for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.