x
Breaking News
More () »

Klan leader defends Centerville flier dropoff

On Monday, we told you about a Centerville neighborhood where Ku Klux Klan brochures were dropped off in driveways.

On Monday, we told you about a Centerville neighborhood where Ku Klux Klan brochures were dropped off in driveways.

Tuesday, we went to Rockledge -- a tiny town in Laurens County -- to talk to a Klan leader who says they didn't mean any harm.

“I've been here for over 12 years and I hadn't even heard a rumor of any KKK activity here,” said Hank Steverson.

But indeed in Rockledge, a local branch of the Ku Klux Klan is alive and well.

People in a Centerville neighborhood woke up on Martin Luther King Day to KKK brochures in their driveways, attacking the holiday’s namesake.

On the flier was a link to the Sacred Knights of the Ku Klux Klan out of Rockledge.

Ryan Lenz with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks American hate groups, says the fliers should not be alarming.

“If you wake up and you see Klan flyers in yard you think the Klan is back. The midnight riders are once again riding through the streets with torches and hoods, but that's not the case,” said Lenz.

The civil rights law firm's site lists the Klan branch based in Rockledge as an active unit.

WMAZ tracked down the Imperial Wizard of the Sacred Knight Klan -- Eddie Snelgrove.

He agreed to talk to us, but wouldn't go on camera or send us a photo.

He says this Klan is different than that of the stereotypical KKK.

“We do not consider ourselves racist. We consider ourselves separatists,” said Snelgrove.

He says Sacred Knights do not condone violence and they are not a hate group. He says the group's goal is to stand up for the rights of the white race.

"Where is white history? If you mention anything about that, it's racism,” said Snelgrove. “That's where we have and I feel like there's a double standard and it's getting to the point and getting worse and worse by the day to where we cannot even represent the fact that we have a right here just like everybody else.”

Snelgrove says the group meant no harm by passing out the flyers in Centerville, they did it just to make people aware they are still present in Central Georgia.

The Southern Poverty Law Center says there are dozens of small Klan chapters nationwide, mostly in the Southeast.

They estimate those groups have a total of 5,000 to 8,000 members.

Before You Leave, Check This Out