Cleveland Cordons Off Klan Rally

Hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear, cordoned off downtown Cleveland on Saturday as about 40 members of the Ku Klux Klan blasted their mantra of white supremacy from the steps of the city’s Justice Center.

But with about 300 anti-Klan protesters loudly booing, the Klan’s message could not always be heard, even just across the street.

The event capped weeks of political rancor as Mayor Michael R. White, who is black, was criticized for failing to try to block the rally. The mayor said he despises the white supremacist group but was legally obligated to uphold the KKK’s right to free speech.

There were also worries that the rally would disrupt the Black Family Expo, a cultural festival being held just a few blocks away, but a steady stream of people came to that event anyway. The event was expected to attract about 20,000 people.

“Here you have people who are doing a positive thing in the community,” said Lynette Bennett, 25, who is black, as she visited exhibits and booths set up by local companies and nonprofit groups. “Out at the rally, they’re trying to get a whole negative thing going.”

The rally lasted about 80 minutes, did not lead to any arrests and barely interfered with a wedding just one block away.

The rally got underway about 1:20 p.m. under gray skies when the Klansmen, dressed in hooded white robes, marched to the front of the Justice Center as “America the Beautiful” rang out over a public address system. They were members of a KKK faction called the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

The rally also had little effect on football fans. They began trickling downtown in the afternoon to see the Cleveland Browns, who are ending a three-season hiatus from the National Football League this year, and were playing the first game in a new stadium Saturday night.

Nor did it dampen the spirits of Michael and Stephanie Kaselonis, who had the wedding of their dreams at the Old Stone Church, the oldest building in downtown Cleveland, just about a block from the site of the Klan gathering.

Security at the KKK rally was tight. Authorities had blocked off most downtown streets, leaving the area virtually deserted except for patrol cars and mounted police.

An estimated 300 police officers, dressed in riot gear and bulletproof vests, formed a double line behind a 6-foot wire fence in front of the Justice Center to serve as a buffer between the Klan and other groups.