March Against Racists and Rapists
6:00 PM SHARP September 6th, 2014
Drive the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis Out of Philly
Neo-Nazis and members of the KKK are living and organizing in Tacony, and Philadelphia in general. KKK grand dragon William Walters, who lives at 7111Torresdale, infiltrated a local neighborhood watch until he was discovered and expelled. Following his expulsion, Walters and several other Klansmen staged a demonstration outside the Tacony library. With almost no notice, a protest was called and many people from Tacony who happened to just be passing by joined with Anti-Racists to oppose the Klan.
http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/06/23/kkk-philadelphia-rally-free-library-tacony/
http://phillydeclaration.org/2014/06/22/tacony-ku-klux-klan-rally-shouted-down-by-community-members/
Since the rally, Walters has been giving interviews to media advocating for a return to the racism, segregation and sexism of 1860’s America. Walters is also attempting to start his own Klan-run neighborhood watch in Tacony.
Another Racist and Fascist organization operating in the area is the Keystone State Skinheads (KSS), also known as Keystone United (KU) and/or the Be Active Front USA (BAF). Several members and supporters of KSS live in Philadelphia, some of them in Tacony. KSS organizes a march and rally in Fairmount Park annually (billed as a “Leif Ericson Day” celebration) and has recently been spotted putting up racist and fascist graffiti around North Philly, some of which has been covered up by
Anti-Fascists.
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/10/21/keystone-state-skinheads-hold-annual-leif-erikson-rally/
http://leifericsondayprotest.wordpress.com/
Like Walters’ Klan group, KSS claims to not be racist or violent. But like the KKK, members of KSS have been involved in assault, rape and murder, often purely because of the victims race. In fact, the head (and co-founder) of KSS, Steve Smith, is a former Klansman himself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_state_skinheads
In May, a supporter of KSS and former attendee at their Leif Ericson Day event, Vincent Pellegrino, raped a woman in Kensington before driving his car into a wall, killing himself.
http://articles.philly.com/2014-05-22/news/50005035_1_kensington-section-400-block-26-year-old-woman
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/dncrime/Alleged-rapist-fleeing-crime-crashes-car-dies.html?c=r
Vincent’s brother, Nunzio, is a KSS member who as been putting up Nazi and Racist graffiti around Philadelphia. He lives at 6403 Ditman street.
The Philadelphia director of KSS, Anthony James (A.J.) Olsen, lives at 2912 Knorr Street with his girlfriend and KSS Supporter Briana Pietropaula.
Philly KSS member Joseph Phy lives with his partner and fellow Nazi Stacey Sautner at 4383 Salmon Street in Bridesburg.
In good news, shortly after a demonstration by a small group of Tacony residents and Philly Antifa, 2 key organizers for KSS who were also living in Tacony moved out of the city.
Antifa Philadelphia thinks enough is enough. We are calling on all Anti-Racists, Anti-Fascists, Feminists, GLBT and anyone else opposed to the KKK and KSS organizing and living in our city to join us for a March Against Racists and Rapists through Tacony.
We will gather at the Tacony Library at 6:00pm.
A better world is possible, but not if we have to be dealing with these assholes for the rest of our lives. Be part of the solution to inequality. Be Anti-Fascist.
In Solidarity,
Antifa Philadelphia