Members of the Ku Klux Klan protested a Martin Luther King Jr. presentation on Jan. 13 and were met with counter protesters.
The protest occurred on the corner of Northwest Boulevard and Mullan Avenue in front of the Human Rights Education Institute.
“We definitely don’t think [MLK] was anyone to look up to whatsoever,” said Mark Eliseusom, one of the protesters. “I can definitely see with what he was trying to do for his people, equal rights and everything, that’s all well and good, but we also have equal rights.”
The KKK members carried signs that said “Honk if you want Idaho white,” “MLK was a n—– terrorist,” “Wake up white America” and “Segregation not liberal education.”
“We feel that [MLK is] irrelevant to the white community,” said Shaun Winkler, Imperial Wizard of the White Knights. “He’s a dead African. We feel that’s someone we shouldn’t honor.”
Eliseusom said he believes Martin Luther King Jr. supported the communist party and that “he claimed to be a minister, and there’s evidence of him sleeping with white prostitutes in hotel rooms while he was on his campaign.”
Some people who drove by honked; others showed the protesters their middle fingers.
“We’ve had things thrown at us, we’ve been physically abused and harmed by people, for nothing more than standing up for our rights as American citizens,” Eliseusom said.
NIC art instructor and former HREI director Rachel Dolezal started a counter protest across the street.
“I’m tired of it,” Dolezal said. “I’m tired of it being one-sided. I’m here to support equality and freedom. I’m going to stand for something today.”
She carried one of her art prints with “Malcolm X is my hero” written on the back in one hand, and the African-American flag in the other.
“If people see a counter protest, it’s an opportunity for people to choose a side,” Dolezal said.
Some NIC students, members of the NIC Gay-Straight Alliance and community members later joined her.
“I feel like it’s good to be out here supporting the community and everybody else,” said Ian Velikoff, 20, business, Boise. “It’s good to stand together; show them we’re not in favor of what they’re doing.”
“I drove past half an hour ago, and they screamed ‘white power’ at me, and I was offended,” said former GSA President David Glenn, 24, history, Spokane.
Members of the GSA waved a rainbow flag and brought signs that said “I’m not with stupid” and “Not every person in North Idaho is racist.”
Two employees of the Disability Action Center also joined the counter protest.
“Our movement has to do with the same thing that’s going on here,” said Virgil Edwards, an independent living specialist at the Disability Action Center. “We believe in equality for all folks, whether they’re disabled whether they’re of color, gender, everything.”
The Disability Action Center describes itself as “a philosophy and a movement of people with disabilities who work for self-determination, equal opportunities and self-respect.”
“When you have hate, like you see across the street here, all that does is destroy people; all that does is tear humanity apart,” said Patrick Blum, an independent living specialist at the Disability Action Center. “They represent hate, and that’s something we don’t need.”
