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NAACP and El Paso leaders condemn viral videos of group in KKK-style robes; police review footage, no charges
The NAACP's El Paso branch, the mayor and Rep. Veronica Escobar condemned viral videos of a group, reportedly including young people, in white KKK-style robes walking an El Paso street. Police are reviewing whether any law was broken; nobody is charged. The NAACP plans a town hall.
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4 min
Civil rights leaders and officials in El Paso, Texas, have condemned a set of viral videos that show a group of people in white robes and hoods of the kind worn by the Ku Klux Klan walking through a neighbourhood at night. The El Paso branch of the NAACP, the mayor, the police chief and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar all spoke out in the days after the videos spread online, around 25 to 27 October. Police are reviewing the footage to see whether any law was broken, and no one has been identified or charged.
The videos
Reports describe about six people in white robes and hoods, possibly teenagers, walking through a neighbourhood on El Paso's East Side at night. Some posts suggested that it was a Halloween gathering, and one clip reportedly showed people shouting racial slurs. The reports differ on details such as whether the group has been confirmed to be teenagers and on what exactly is said on the recordings, and those specifics should be treated as reported and not verified.
What the NAACP said
The president of the El Paso branch, Carl B. Dwyer Jr., called the display deeply hurtful to Black Americans at a news conference. The branch said in a statement that the Klan hood is not a costume, and Dwyer added that silence in the face of hatred is complicity. The branch also urged local schools to teach students about history and racism, and some civil rights leaders demanded action from schools if students were involved.
What officials said
Police Chief Peter Pacillas said that the department is reviewing the footage to see whether any laws, such as disorderly conduct, were violated. He called the robes and the language a symbol of terror that has no place in the community. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar called the actions "deeply disturbing and unacceptable," and Mayor Renard Johnson expressed disappointment.
| Official | Statement |
|---|---|
| NAACP El Paso president Carl B. Dwyer Jr. | The KKK hood is not a costume; silence in the face of hatred is complicity |
| Police Chief Peter Pacillas | Reviewing footage for possible offences such as disorderly conduct; the robes are a symbol of terror |
| Rep. Veronica Escobar | Deeply disturbing and unacceptable |
| Mayor Renard Johnson | Disappointed |
The Ku Klux Klan was formed in the United States after the Civil War and has used terror, including lynchings and bombings, against Black Americans and others. Its robes and hoods are among the best-known symbols of that violence, which is why civil rights groups reject the argument that they are a costume. In the United States, the freedom of speech protects many offensive displays, and a person usually commits an offence only if they also break a specific law, for example by trespass, disorderly conduct or threats. That is why police have said they are checking the footage against the law, and why the legal outcome is not certain.
At a news conference outside the El Paso County Courthouse on Monday morning, 26 October, Dwyer, who is a 31-year veteran of the US Army, said the display was not a joke. He said many people believe it is just a joke, and that it hurts. He linked it to reported racial harassment in local schools, including slurs aimed at Black students and an assault on two Black teenage girls at Pebble Hills High School. He called on the superintendents of the El Paso, Ysleta, Socorro and Canutillo school districts to meet the NAACP.
In one of the videos, the person filming laughs and tells the group to shout something. Mayor Johnson said in a statement that families had contacted his office out of fear. City representative Chris Canales urged residents to face the city's past and present, including its Confederate history, and Patrick Butler-Rab of Border Communities United cited the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting as a warning against normalising hate speech. School trustee Leah Hanany, speaking as an individual, called for peer condemnation of hate symbols. Diane Williams, the NAACP's vice president, announced a community town hall within 30 days with representatives of area school districts to discuss school incidents and parents' concerns.
Police have asked anyone with information to come forward, and Chief Pacillas said that free expression has limits when it threatens public order or the safety of others.
The police review will show whether any charges are possible. The NAACP branch wants schools to do more to teach students about the history of racism, and civil rights leaders have asked for action if students are found to be involved.
The reports are from the last few days, and further details about the identity of the group may emerge.
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4 min
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