Nation IN BRIEF : OHIO : Protesters Topple Klan Cross a 3rd Time

A Ku Klux Klan cross toppled by protesters for a third time on Cincinnati’s Fountain Square was righted again. The klan has a permit to display the 10-foot wooden cross. Three men who allegedly attacked the cross were charged with disorderly conduct, said Officer Randy Neal. Each posted $1,500 bond and was released, said a Hamilton County Justice Center employee. Someone tied a note to the Klan on the cross saying, “To the KKK: Your use of a cross for this purpose is a twisting of the message of Jesus. We are asked to love our neighbors.” Three men arrived late in the morning to brace the cross with metal and stand it upright. The Klan’s plan to erect the cross drew hundreds of demonstrators to the area. The KKK obtained the permit to erect the cross by using the same religious freedom argument that a Jewish group used to win a court order allowing it to display an 18-foot menorah during Hanukkah, near where the city had erected Christmas trees.