• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

In Forceful Terms, Flagler Beach Knocks KKK

April 30, 2010 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Flagler Beach KKK Fliers
Where hate doesn't fly. (© FlaglerBeach)

When the matter of the Ku Klux Klan’s Easter Day recruitment in Palm Coast came up–first at a Flagler County League of Cities meeting earlier this month, then at a Flagler Beach City Commission meeting last week–Jane Mealy was unequivocal. Not only had the act to be denounced, the Flagler Beach commissioner said; it had to be done so loudly and clearly, and beyond the websites of government agencies.


Mealy, writing on behalf of the city, did.


Click On:

  • Flagler Beach’s Statement on the KKK
  • Palm Coast band County Commission Statement
  • KKK Confirms: We’re Recruiting in Flagler
  • Why Is Flagler Being Mealy-Mouthed Over KKK Fliers?


The distribution of recruitment fliers, Mealy wrote, “is certainly within the KKK’s First Amendment rights, but the commission of the city of Flagler Beach considers it to be a bias incident and wishes to proffer its own First Amendment right to register its distress that such an episode occurred in our area. If we were to say nothing, such inaction could easily be construed as apathy and/or acceptance. In other communities where bias incidents have occurred and nothing was said about them, hatred has persisted, grown, and led to great divisions within the population. We do not want this to occur in Flagler Beach or in Flagler County.”

At their April 22 meeting, Flagler Beach commissioners agreed that Mealy would draft the statement on behalf of the city and have it posted on the city’s website and disseminated to local newspapers and FlaglerLive.

By then Flagler County commissioners had posted their own statement, and Palm Coast had taken it word for word and posted it on its own web site. But the county’s statement did not mention the KKK by name nor the recruitment drive as such, focusing instead on the county’s embrace of diversity.

Jane Mealy, Flagler Beach City CommissionerIn contrast, the Flagler Beach statement in its first line names the KKK down to the branch that conducted the drive (the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, or UNSKKK. The group’s Imperial Wizard confirmed that such drives were taking place across Florida and the rest of the country).

The Flagler Beach statement dismisses the Easter Day wishes in the fliers and sees them as meant for recruiting and “spreading a hate message.”

“Flagler County’s population is extremely diverse, representing all races, many nationalities, both naturalized and unnaturalized citizens born in other countries, all economic levels, various levels of educational background, many religious groups, those with differing political stands, and those with non-traditional; sexual orientation.” The KKK fliers, including the one dropped in Palm Coast, target homosexuals especially. One of the UNSKKK’s other standard fliers, which did not turn up in Palm Coast, is titled “Homo-Land Security,” a take-off on the revelation in 2007 that Pentagon scientists had sought to developed a lust-creating “gay bomb” that would turn soldiers toward, rather than against, each other.

“We are,” Flagler Beach’s statement continued, “certainly much more than ‘white, Christian, native-born American citizens’ as the KKK describes themselves throughout their message.”

Mealy’s family history informs her perspective on these matters: She is Jewish; her parents left Austria on Aug. 30, 1939, two days before Hitler invaded Poland (and more than a year after he’d annexed Austria). They’d left their possessions behind. “Everything was supposed to be on the next boat. There was no next boat, obviously.” Mealey’s grandparents were murdered in Austria in 1940. “People don’t understand if they haven’t gone through anything like that,” she said on Friday. “If you’re a nice, white, Southern person who’s lived here all his life, you don’t get it.” The memories were in her voice when she urged fellow commissioners to take a stand.

Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts originally brought up the matter of public statements against the KKK. He did so at a gathering of all Flagler County government agencies on April 13 (the meeting was called to explore transportation options for the county.)

There have been no reported instances of further recruiting since Easter Day.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jim Guines says

    May 2, 2010 at 8:12 pm

    Thank God Flagler’s leadership has a mealy mouth concerning the KKK, Jane’s!!!!!!

    Reply
  2. Strling says

    May 21, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    There is enough hate in this town and the world that this is the last thing we need. Another bunch of bullies that are to afraid to run their mouths by them selves, oh thats right they need to be in a group. People are FED up with the bully syndrome.

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • blerbfamilyfive on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • We believe the girl on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • DAVE on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Blame Game on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Laurel on Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
  • Deborah Coffey on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • Flatsflyer on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • Greg on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Bailey’s Mom on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • jake on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Dennis Clark on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Bryan on “A Fitting Conclusion”: Family Speaks of Pilot Ray Miller’s Life of Adventure Before Crash
  • Ray W. on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • Ray W. on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • Dee on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later

Log in