Hundreds of Protesters at White Pride Rally

By: Amanda McGill

Updated: Sat 9:09 PM, Jul 17, 2004

Police were everywhere, both in riot gear patroling the streets and as snipers on top of buildings. There mission was to make sure no one got hurt during the National Socialist Movement rally. They did a good job. There was no violence and no arrests. Proper planning surely played a large roll in the success, because the afternoon was anything but uneventful.

As the rally started, the steps of the Capitol were covered in Nazi flags and Ku Klux Klan signs. Countless speakers took turns speaking about white-pride. They recounted the death of Jenna Cooper, a UNL soccer player killed by a stray bullet fired by Lucky Iromuanya. They say the murder was race related. Lincoln police say that is not the case.

For all the hype the rally received the past week, only about 10 people showed up to support it. On the other hand, hundreds of people were there to protest or to simply see what a Neo-Nazi rally is like. While there were seperate areas for the supporters and protesters, everyone was free to go where ever they like. Half way through the rally, about 20 protesters went over to the National Socialist area. The supporters were protected by a guard of police, but the two sides still shouted at each other over the short distance.

At the end of the rally, the supporters had to be ushered to safety by the police. The crowd followed as far as the police would allow them, but ultimately, a member of the crowd convinced the rest of them to call it a day and go home. He spoke a message of peace saying there had already been enough hate during the afternoon...now it is time to go home.

The Lincoln Police Force Just Got A Little Bigger