Rural Hoosiers tell KKK members, 'Leave our town'

When three Ku Klux Klan recruiters tried to promote their cause recently in rural Winchester, Ind. (Best Places map) local residents made it clear the organization was not welcome, Keith Roysdon reports for The Star Press in nearby Muncie. "Officials let the Klan members have their say. And then townspeople told them in no uncertain terms: We don't want you here." with residents chanting "Leave our town! Leave our town! Leave our town!"

"Mayor Shon Byrum said he felt it was important that the demonstrators' First Amendment right to free speech not be denied," Roysdon writes. "But he said he was proud that residents of the Randolph County city of about 4,700 people let Klan members know they wouldn't tolerate their message." Byrum told Roysdon, "They did end up leaving after the community came out against hate."'

The KKK, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, in recent years has re-focused its agenda on immigration and border security, which also are two of the main issues in the 2016 presidential election. Indiana has 11 electoral votes and is the home of Republican Gov. Mike Pence, the GOP vice-presidential choice of Donald Trump, who has expressed strong opinions about immigration and border security. He lads Democrat Hillary Clinton in Indiana by 7 to 11 percentage points, according to RealClear Politics.