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KKK’s recruiting in Manassas draws strong rebuke from locals
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Manassas (Map, News) - The Ku Klux Klan’s efforts to attract new members in the Manassas area earned strong rebukes from local organizations, which abhor the groups entry into the broiling political debate over illegal immigration.
Fliers and newspapers distributed in the city by the organization last weekend drew strong condemnations from both sides of the local immigration debate.
Ku Klux Klan LLC in Arkansas was merely responding to requests from local residents to get involved, national recruitment director Travis Pierce said Wednesday.
“We had gotten a huge number [of notes] from that particular area that had concerns about quality of life issues, drugs and gangs and pornography,” Pierce said.
The group does not plan to hold marches or rallies in the community and would not release the number of its Manassas-area members, Pierce said.
The suburban community has become a battleground in the illegal immigration debate since July, when the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution aiming to deny services to illegal immigrants and make it easier to deport those who break the law.
Leading critics of the resolution said its passage opened the door for racist sentiment.
“Anytime lawmakers pass initiatives that would, in practice, use race, ethnicity and language to single out a segment of the population and try to drive them out of a community, they are laying the foundation for increased bigotry and hatred,” Mexicanos Sin Fronteras said in a statement.
However, supervisors who approved the legislation have said the resolution had nothing to do with race or ethnicity, but was an effort to curb the costs of providing services to illegal immigrants and ridding the community of criminals who were damaging the quality of life.
“If Mexicans Without Borders protests [the KKK], we would be right alongside,” said Greg Letiecq, president of the leading local anti-illegal immigration organization Help Save Manassas “They don’t have anything to offer. … It’s not helping at all.”
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12:03 PM MST on Thu., Sep. 6, 2007 re: "KKK’s recruiting in Manassas draws strong rebuke from locals"
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7:58 AM MST on Thu., Sep. 6, 2007
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Mambo said:
Racial profiling does not have to be in the forefront. The hispanics orgs. have succeeded in clouding the issue. EVERY person's legal status should be checked when applying for jobs, benefits, drivers licenses etc. That ought to take care of things. It's so funny that the KKK is reduced to hiding their identities noe that they are not the only ones with guns. LOL
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WoW said:
so the people that disagree with what we're writing why dont you write about why you disagree because from my understanding what they are suppose to be doing in PWC & Herndon & all the other counties that are trying to enforce immigration I still havent quite figured out how they manage to do this without racial profiling and how people say illegals dont have rights but what happens when they racial profile someone who is not illegal and someone who knows their rights. Because I know for a fact we have corrupt officers and when there are more murders and robberies and less witnesses and more unsolved cases you'll wonder because there are many people who target illegals but when illegals observe crimes some call but now none will call crime will go up and illegal or not people are already scared to call the cops now PWC and all these other counties are giving people more reason not to call 911 when something serious happens
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Concerned Herdonite said:
I wonder if VW will like moving their headquarters to a hotbed of racist, neo-nazi activity. Greg and his gang of bigots will surely make VW re-think their decision.
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WoW said:
they say that all that is going on is about race but Greg put it out there that he is a racist & is ready to stand behind the KKK I think this is about illegals anymore I think PWC wants to make all races feel uncomfortable if "“If Mexicans Without Borders protests [the KKK], we would be right alongside," What the hell does the kkk have to do with anything of illegals KKK hates all races other than white & to say your going to stand right alongside. Help save Manassas if your so worried about saving Manassas then get the drugs off the street worry about where your kids are at 1 in the morning & illegals did not ruin Manassas its just an excuse you people make me sick! Next thing well see is water fountains for llegals and illegals. ""As a result, those businesses that have illegal aliens as a significant customer base are reporting 30-40% drops in revenue."" So how did you come up with these numbers everyone who came up to the register you asked them for papers or just guess??
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Uncomfortable Truth said:
Message to Greg Letiecq - Your hatred and intolerance has brought the most vile members of our society to Herndon. You should acknowledge your mistake and stop your cruel and hateful campaign. To the followers of Greg Letiecq - When you stand with him.. you stand with the Klan. There is no grey in this. Do you want your children to remember you as the guy who stood with the racists? Walk away.
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