KKK Rally. Dayton, Ohio May 25, 2019. A Summary Of Photos.

Police officers in half-riot gear protecting the KKK behind 2 layers of fencing and barriers.

Someone in the crowd screamed out, "Can you see them? That's them over there, isn't it? I think I see someone wearing white! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"

I couldn't see them. At least, not clearly. I saw a faint glimpse of a confederate flag about 100 meters away, so I pulled out my zoom lens to get a better look. Even with a zoom lens I couldn't see them. The city of Dayton really went above and beyond to keep them in their own safe space. Over $650,000 of taxpayer money was spent protecting the KKK from angry protesters.

Saturday's KKK rally protest was surreal. I'd never been to a real protest before. I've walked past and through a handful of protests in Japan, but I'd never experienced something like this before. This was like something out of a movie. Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and state police were patrolling with bomb sniffing dogs. Police were on foot, on horse, in cars, and on bicycles. Large trucks were parked in the middle of the road to make a road block. A helicopter was overhead, flanked by a police drone, hovering to keep watch of the crowd.

Some protesters had rifles, some had weed. Some protesters were masked Antifa, others held up Socialist flags and anti-KKK signs. There were groups of people handing out free water bottles and sunscreen. I heard people screaming threats and others chanting for peace. People from all walks of life and backgrounds gathered to show their anger towards the city of Dayton and towards the KKK.

A religious protester holds a sign of peace.

I could probably write on and on about the protest in a timeline form or some other kind of tight format. I won't do that. Instead, I'm going to dump some 35mm film photos of the protest below with captions. Make of them what you will. But keep this on your mind: these photos might be on black and white film, but they're not from the 1950s. These photos were taken in 2019.

Riot police make their way through the crowd.

Two children hold up signs of peace.

Society for Native Americans protester burning sage.

People try to get a better look at the KKK members by pressing against the fences.

A veteran looks towards the KKK.

A Black Panther Party member walks through the crowd.

Riot Police watch the beginning of the protest.

A Dayton native holds a sign.

A protester carries a Democratic Socialist flag.

Police stand guard at the start of the protest in front of the city courthouse.

A masked protester shouts.

Protesters drown out the KKK with chants, shouting, and music.

A protester in the crowd.

A sign left on a fence by protesters.

A protester flies a hammer and sickle flag during the rally.

A protester's sign for the KKK.

A Black Panther Party member communicates via walkie talkie.

Protesters walk, shout, chant, hold flags, and sing.

Two protesters drown out the sound of the KKK with music.

Citizens show their anger at the city and KKK.

No one was arrested. No one was injured. Protesters were rightfully angry, but remained kind, courteous, and respectful towards each other.

Here's something to think about. The city of Dayton allowed a hate group to march around the courthouse in white robes, shouting into megaphones about white power. They could have said no. Instead, they spent $650,000 on over 350 police officers, barriers, and helicopter fuel. Two days later, an EF-4 tornado tore through Montgomery County, causing extreme damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. If only the city had an extra $650,000 to spend on helping the citizens. Instead, it had the KKK.