KKK Rally to Be Rescheduled

A Bakersfield man plans to change the date of a Ku Klux Klan rally in Simi Valley, which was to take place at the same time and place as a Neighbors Against Nazis gathering, city officials said Wednesday.

John Varela wrote to city officials in November, saying his group planned a Jan. 30 rally outside the East County Courthouse, where the trial in the Rodney G. King beating case took place.

On Monday, Simi Valley officials received a second letter from Varela requesting an application for a public assembly permit, required by the city, and saying he planned to reschedule his Simi Valley rally for an unspecified date.

He has said his group wants to show support for the four Los Angeles police officers who were acquitted on all but one charge in their first trial in the King case. They still face federal charges.

In the second letter, Varela said his group will appear Feb. 2 outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, where the second trial is to be held.

Varela could not be reached Wednesday for further information on his demonstration plans.

After hearing about Varela’s plan for a Jan. 30 rally, Neighbors Against Nazis, which formed to protest two Simi Valley appearances by white supremacist Richard Barrett, obtained a city permit to rally on the same date.

Simi Valley Police Chief Lindsey P. Miller has said he would not approve a permit for a Ku Klux Klan rally on the same day as the Neighbors Against Nazis event because of a potential conflict between the groups.