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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