DAYTON — Dayton city commissioners approved an emergency ordinance making it illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime in Dayton.
The ordinance comes just days after the city voiced its opposition to a permit application from the Honorable Sacred Knights.
Montgomery County last week denied the permit from the KKK-affiliated group to rally in Court House Square Labor Day weekend. The same group came to Dayton last Memorial Day weekend.
“Montgomery County has denied the permit application of the KKK-affiliated group the Honorable Sacred Knights to use Court House Square, in the interest of protecting public health and safety for all our citizens. Our taxpayers should not be forced to bear the significant financial burden that will be required to fund law enforcement and security measures during this event, nor should our businesses be forced to shutter their doors,” the county said in a statement.
The new ordinance makes it not only illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime, but also while intimidating or causing another person to be apprehensive.
A violation of the ordinance is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to 180 days in jail.
The same group came to Court House Square last Memorial Day weekend, costing the city of Dayton about $650,000 on security costs related to public safety.
The KKK-affiliated group released the following statement following last week’s denial:
“We will still be in Dayton Ohio on September 5th. We are speaking with an attorney and will be suing for infringement and interfering with our right to peacefully assemble. If they continue to deni us then we will be on the corners of third and main instead but will still sue. We never asked for any security. We nev asked for any funding. The Honorable Sacred Knights have never commited any crimes or threatened to commit any crimes. Not one of our members even has a criminal record,” they said in an email to News Center 7.
