Ku Klux Klan visit prompts response

Michelle Karas, Mercury staff writer August 24, 2002

BOYERTOWN -- A recent appearance of members of the Ku Klux Klan at the borough's most visible intersection has prompted the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition to bring an anti-hate fund-raiser out of hibernation.

Three robed Klansmen handed out pamphlets at the intersection of Reading and Philadelphia avenues for a period of at least 20 minutes between 1 and 2 p.m. Aug. 3, witnesses and business owners confirmed. Mayor Marianne Deery, who runs a business not far from the intersection, said she saw KKK members handing out literature to passing vehicles at the busy crossroads. Deery said that the KKK showed up in town on that date was most likely a response to an Aug. 1 anti-hate group seminar at a local church. "There haven't been any Klan at that corner in a few years," Deery said. "But it's their right to be there, as long as it is done in the proper manner. They stay within the law. They don't force their literature on people. They merely stick their arm out when traffic is stopped and anyone who wants to can take it." Boyertown Police Cpl. Gregory Miller was unaware of a Ku Klux Klan appearance on Aug. 3. "Normally, we do get a call, but not in this case," Miller said. Years ago, the KKK regularly demonstrated at "Boyer's Corner," officials said. The Boyertown Area Unity Coalition formed in 1994 "to create and nurture a caring community climate in which respect for all persons, young and old, is cultivated and in which bigotry is rejected." "Here are two groups totally opposed to each other, and as a public official, I represent them both," Deery said. "It really puts me in a precarious position." The KKK is not required to notify police of any appearances, he said. Jen Schlegel, a co-chairperson of the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition, said literature from the National Alliance, a white supremacist group, was distributed in Boyertown's Presidential Estates neighborhood Aug. 2. The hate literature was bagged and thrown on lawns in the neighborhood, as newspapers would be, she said. When there is hate group activity such as there reportedly was in the Boyertown area Aug. 2 & 3, Project Lemonade springs to life. "Project Lemonade will always be in effect," Schlegel said. "We just don't like to have to use it. Even though this appearance was only for 20 minutes, we are committed to raising money through the project. Certainly this will raise money for some good causes." Money raised through Project Lemonade, which solicits pledges for every minute hate activity occurs in the area, pays for school programs or books that promote diversity or may be donated to groups, such as the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League or the Southern Poverty Law Center, which battle racism. For more information, visit the Web site, www.boyertownunitycoalition.org To date, Project Lemonade has raised nearly $12,000, Schlegel said. Although she can't predict if the KKK or other hate groups will appear on the streets of Boyertown again, Schlegel counts the short duration of the Klansmen's Aug. 3 visit as a positive. "They were not able to muster much support," she said. "It shows Boyertown wants to support activities where we show we are open to diversity. We will not tolerate hate acts anymore." The coalition encourages anyone who witnesses or is a victim of incidents that create racial tension to report them to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission at www.stopbias.org "We have filed reports with the commission for the Aug. 2 and 3 incidents in Boyertown," Schlegel said. "It's important to do so to keep track of the incidents, and for people to feel empowered."

ŠThe Mercury 2002