Monday, January 1, 2018

White Nationalism 2018 Echoes KKK 100 Years Ago

As we enter 2018, it is helpful to recall that the second wave of the KKK surged in popularity from 1915 to 1920—and eventually faded, after a murderous wave of lynchings and voter suppression.
Here is what John Moffatt Mecklin wrote in his seminal study of the KKK— published in 1924— titled The Ku Klux Klan: A Case Study of the American Mind:
“Through its stand for law and order, the Klan gained the support of many of the best citizens made uneasy by the lawlessness of post-war days.”
Specifically, Mecklin referred to agitations by a newly formed civil rights group, the NAACP, that protested for equal treatment of black soldiers returning from battle in WWI. 
Now compare this train of thought to President Trump, who infamously called upon police to treat black suspects rougher. In a speech before a national police organization last summer, Trump delivered a combative law-and-order speech in a New York suburb, calling gang members “animals” and praising law enforcement for being "rough."
“When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon. You see them thrown in rough. I said, ‘Please don't be too nice,’” referring to police officers shielding prisoners’ heads with their hands.
Interesting to note, all the police behind President Trump during this speech are white.


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