Friday, September 10, 1999
Klan rally tangles busy Columbus weekend
Police stretched by OSU football game, 3-hour Shriner parade
BY ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — Police will be out in force Saturday as the Ku Klux Klan holds a rally on the steps of City Hall while several other events requiring crowd control are held throughout the city.
In addition to the Klan rally, the city is facing hours of pregame festivities before the Ohio State-
UCLA football game and a parade by a regional Shriner association that promises to be the biggest downtown parade in 15 years.
“Our position and our job is to maintain the safety of citizens, which are the assets of the city of Columbus,” said Gary Parks, a spokesman for Mayor Greg Lashutka. “We do it whenever there's a special event, whether an Ohio State football game, a gospel festival, or whether it's a hateful message coming to town.”
City officials won't say much about their strategy for handling the Klan on top of so many other events. They emphasized that police staffing levels will be the same throughout neighborhoods.
Targeting Jews
The Klan rally is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the steps of City Hall.
Steve Kirk, Grand Dragon for the Realm of Ohio, Knights of the White Kamellia Ku Klux Klan, said he expects about 150 Klan members representing 20 Klan groups.
Mr. Kirk, of Bellefontaine, said he purposely chose Saturday, the beginning of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, for the rally.
Mr. Kirk said he planned to “to inform white people of Jewish people and how they live,” in addition to the group's usual message of “white pride, white history, white rights.”
Mr. Kirk said he's had no problems from police in planning the event.
Columbus police have had more events to deal with in the past but this particular mix could require the most officers, said Lt. Karl Barth of the police department's special events unit. He wouldn't reveal exact numbers.
Lt. Barth said the Great Lakes Shriner Association's parade will be on downtown streets for almost three hours and will be the downtown's biggest parade in 15 years.
Wedding, movie and more
In addition, a wedding reception, a movie crew filming on location, two prayer services, a concert and the annual Oktoberfest are all scheduled in the downtown area Saturday, Lt. Barth said.
A few blocks north of downtown in the university district, several pregame parties begin around 1 p.m., Lt. Barth said. At least five radio stations are hosting parties with bands, he said.
The game itself doesn't begin until 8 p.m.
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