Ku Klux Klan plans gathering near Quarryville on May 20
05/19/2017 09:44AM ● By Stone Lieberman
A local chapter of a hate
group is planning to hold a rally and cross lighting on May 27 in
southern Lancaster County, and media attention has prompted a statement
from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-16).
On May 17, Smucker's office issued a statement about the planned gathering of the Ku Klux Klan:
“It is unfortunate to bring attention to such appalling behavior, but I cannot be silent while this hate is promoted in our communities. The East Coast Knights of the Ku Klux Klan’s planned event this Saturday in Lancaster County is a reminder of the perverse hate that still exists within a small group of individuals."
“Let me be clear: There is
absolutely no place for the KKK, or any KKK-affiliated groups, in our
communities and I condemn this group and its actions in the strongest
possible terms,” Smucker wrote. “This group does
not represent the people of Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District, nor does it represent the values that bring us together.”
The East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire, based in Rising Sun, Md., posted on its website that they will be holding the cross lighting on a farm property near Quarryville.
Quarryville police are aware
of the planned event, but are not scheduling extra patrols. Since the
event is on a large private property, and it is not open to the public,
it may not even be visible from nearby roads.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that “the number of hate groups in the United States rose for a second year in a row, energized by the candidacy of Donald Trump.”
A counter-rally, which will
include area civic leaders and clergy, is scheduled Saturday from 3 to 5
p.m. at the Lancaster County courthouse on King Street in Lancaster.
