EL PASO, Texas — Civil rights leaders and elected officials in El Paso, Texas, spoke out Monday against social media videos and photos showing a group of what appear to be teenagers dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes at an apparent Halloween gathering.
The local NAACP branch’s president, Carl B. Dwyer Jr., led a news conference outside the El Paso County Courthouse. He said the robes cannot be brushed off as a prank or party costume because they stand for one of the most racist chapters in the nation’s history, and he called the display deeply hurtful to Black residents. Dwyer, an Army veteran of 31 years, said he would rather see the young people educated than punished and wants to speak with them directly.
About 25 supporters stood with him. The group included several pastors, two members of the City Council, Josh Acevedo and Chris Canales, and Leah Hanany, who leads the El Paso Independent School District board. Dwyer also pointed to families whose kids return from class shaken after being called racial slurs, and he urged residents to confront such incidents before they grow. The branch, founded in 1914 as the first in Texas, plans a town hall on discrimination and will post the date on social media.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar called the images disturbing and unacceptable in a statement on Sunday. Police Chief Peter Pacillas said the El Paso Police Department is looking into whether any laws were broken. State Sen. Cesar Blanco said the actions of a few do not speak for the Borderland.
