Thread: `Redneck Shop' creates dispute in S.C.

LAURENS, S.C. - A black civil rights activist is fighting to close a store that sells KKK robes and T-shirts emblazoned with racial slurs. David Kennedy is confident he can make it happen. After all, he says he owns the building.

Since 1996, the Redneck Shop has operated in an old movie theater that, according to court records, was transferred in 1997 to Kennedy and the Baptist church he leads..........

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_us/kkk_store

As despicable as it may be... this is the land of the "Free" or at least it's supposed to be.

Everyone has the first amendment to freedom of speech, no matter how much we may disagree with that.

Hey the racists have to buy their t-shirts somewhere don't they?

The first amendment:
At times our greatest allie, and at others a hindering foe...Overall one of the things that makes this place great.

As morally wrong as it may be, a business owner has the right to sell whatever it wants as long as there is not existing law prohibiting it.
Last i checked, there was no law prohibiting the sale of KKK robes.
I can't see how it can be legally shut down.
The only way i see it happening is by having other people cause so much of a commotion (ie. legal threats, petitions, complaints, protests) , that its just not worth keeping the store open.

"BloodyHorns82" wrote:

Hey the racists have to buy their t-shirts somewhere don't they?

The first amendment:
At times our greatest allie, and at others a hindering foe...Overall one of the things that makes this place great.

That's another thing... I mean, if they're going to buy this stuff and wear it around anyways.... who cares, let them. It's like wearing a big "I'm a Moran" sign.

"i_bleed_purple" wrote:

As morally wrong as it may be, a business owner has the right to sell whatever it wants as long as there is not existing law prohibiting it.
Last i checked, there was no law prohibiting the sale of KKK robes.
I can't see how it can be legally shut down.
The only way i see it happening is by having other people cause so much of a commotion (ie. legal threats, petitions, complaints, protests) , that its just not worth keeping the store open.

It's not so much the intent to sell KKK robes, but the danger lies in speech that "Intends to cause damage or harm"... which the KKK readily associates itself with.

"C" wrote:

"i_bleed_purple" wrote:

As morally wrong as it may be, a business owner has the right to sell whatever it wants as long as there is not existing law prohibiting it.
Last i checked, there was no law prohibiting the sale of KKK robes.
I can't see how it can be legally shut down.
The only way i see it happening is by having other people cause so much of a commotion (ie. legal threats, petitions, complaints, protests) , that its just not worth keeping the store open.

It's not so much the intent to sell KKK robes, but the danger lies in speech that "Intends to cause damage or harm"... which the KKK readily associates itself with.

Correct.
Racial slurs are one thing, but the KKK has a pretty dark past.
It does, unfortunately, exist still though, and is a legitimate, if despicable, organization.
So selling the robes is perfectly legal.
Selling a noose on the other hand, would not be.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if it is legal or not to sell the crap.
The real rub is whether or not the business owner's contact, which apparently entitles him to run the business from that location until he dies, is legal and binding. My guess is that it is not.
Unlike residential leases, which offer protection to existing lease holders in the event of a change in ownership of the property, many business leases do not.
It would have to be a pretty damn carefully worded lease agreement to ensure that it endured past the building sale, and then didn't have any loopholes (such as unbecoming business standards) that would allow the new owner to terminate the lease.

We still have active KKK members in the US Senate

"BadlandsViking" wrote:

We still have active KKK members in the US Senate

To be fair, Byrd is a former KKK member.
He denounced it in 2005.
I believe he is still both an idiot and a racist, but no longer a KKK member...

As much as i disagree with racist a**holes, Our Country is built on Free Speech. I am 1/2 Ojibway. When I was little, my dad and I had to leave a diner in Utah Cause "No indians" were allowed. This was 1979! It sucked and was wrong. But you can't tell people what they can sell. I have a bumper sticker that says "Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism Since 1492" Has a picture of Geronimo on it. A guy behind me got pissed at it. He construed it as "hateful" speech. But I'm not taking it off my truck. I don't have too. Thats what is great about our Country. ;D