Last week, the state of Florida arrested three alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan who had plotted to kill an African American inmate after he was released from prison. While white supremacist terror plots are not uncommon, this one had a peculiar twist: two of the suspects involved were officers at the Florida Department of Corrections.
The incident has incited outrage across the state. On Tuesday the Senate Criminal Justice Committee heard testimony from prisons chief Julie Jones, who said she’s unaware of other Klan activity in the prisons, but that it’s difficult to ascertain because the department is not allowed to ask about political affiliations during the hiring process.
The residents of Tallahassee, Florida are not content to live with this uncertainty about extremists working in the Florida prison system. Yesterday, over 100 students and other activists marched from Florida State University to the state capitol, demanding that the government cleanse itself of Klan members and other racist influences. Holding banners reading “Klan Out Now,” the demonstrators carried a Confederate flag which they publicly burned (this week marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War).
“We are out here today because we want to fight against the system of white supremacy and capitalism. We want to stand against the growing tide of white supremacy and white nationalism. Groups like the KKK are not to be taken lightly; they have been known to be involved in various police departments and other influential positions,” said Shiaani Ehsaan of the Black Liberation Action Coordinating Committee. She also provided the following pictures of the demonstration:
