KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The mayor of Branson issued a proclamation Tuesday "promoting unity and condemning hate speech" following days of controversy in the southwest Missouri vacation destination.
But Mayor Edd Akers' proclamation did little to calm concerns at the regular Board of Aldermen meeting, as members of the public demanded that the city condemn Dixie Outfitters, a store that specializes in Confederate-flag-themed merchandise whose owners have family ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
Many locals voiced their outrage at the shop's prominent location on the heavily trafficked 76 strip. One man, who said he was a teacher in St. Louis who liked vacationing in Branson, asked the board for clarification on the proclamation, noting it said the city condemned hate speech.
He asked for each to provide their stance on the KKK.
"I'm sorry, the board did not put out the proclamation. I did," Akers quickly responded.
So the man asked for the mayor's take.
"We're here to listen to you," Akers said.
Only Alderman Larry Milton responded to the question.
"I'll answer your question point blank: I despise the KKK. I despise any organization that is violent and violent towards people for the simple reason of the color of their skin," Milton said. "I don't believe that organization should be in the United States of America, maybe not the world. So my personal opinion is I see no room in the United States for the KKK and those that have those beliefs."
Later, Alderman Bill Skains also denounced the KKK. He said he was almost brought to tears by a viral video that showed a woman waving the Confederate flag, telling protesters in Branson, "I will teach my grandkids to hate you all."
"It hurts me to hear these things," he said. "They have no part in this community and I wish they would get the hell out of it."
He said "silence is violence."
"I do not wish to be silent and I don't think this board needs to be silent," Skains said.
Aldermen Jamie Whiteis and Jeff Seay did not speak on the matter.
Alderman Bob Simmons said the city should do something to support the Police Department because "there doesn't seem to be too many people behind the police departments across the country." While Branson's protests have so far been peaceful, there was talk that upcoming protests would seek to shut down the city's main drag.
"We're now asking them to deal with demonstrations that are possibly not going to be peaceful, possibly going to block roads, just inviting confrontation. So I would really like us to think about what we do with permits for demonstrations," Simmons said.
On Sunday, Black Lives Matter for the second time took their protest to Dixie Outfitters, saying the store is offensive and out of touch in an era when Americans are reexamining everything from police funding to brand names like Aunt Jemima following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday, the mayor said there was "much misinformation and much misunderstanding in regard to the event." He complained twice that word has spread online that he personally attended the protest, while he said he was out of town with family at the time.
"I don't think there's a Branson-area person that is happy with this situation and the way we're being characterized across social media," he said.
The Dixie Outfitters location on the strip is owned by Anna and Nathan Robb. Nathan is the son of Thomas Robb, an Arkansas-based pastor who assumed leadership of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1980s following the departure of David Duke.
In June 2015, Anna Robb said she and her husband were estranged from Thomas Robb, though she acknowledged attending KKK events in the past. A store manager, who would not give his full name, told The Kansas City Star that sales of the Confederate flags were booming in recent days.
Members of the public spoke for nearly an hour Tuesday about the store. None defended it or the Confederate flag.
Kelsey Allen, of Branson, implored the board to use its authority to regulate zoning and signs on the Branson strip. She noted that medical marijuana dispensaries are barred from operating in the city's entertainment district.
She said the Confederate flag incites violence and symbolizes racism, slavery and division. And she said Dixie Outfitters was a "despicable" presence in the heart of the city.
"How is that a welcoming, family-friendly community?" she said. " ... What message are we sending as a community allowing that to happen in the entertainment district?"
While the speakers demanded action, Akers told the crowd that aldermen were elected to represent people of their individual wards.
"And I think it's important that some of the aldermen need to talk to their people before they make commitments or statements," he said.
His proclamation stated that "the people of Branson are welcoming, open and neighborly citizens and have a strong moral background with servant's hearts and a spirit of hospitality."
At the end of the meeting, the mayor pointed to what he said were "outside influences," specifically the woman who was captured on the viral video that has been viewed millions of times.
"It seemed like there were a lot of people I didn't recognize as Branson people," he said. "I don't know whether it was staged that this lady come in to town. We can't find out who she is."
In his public comments Tuesday, Branson resident Joshua Pope described himself as a student of history. He said displaying the Confederate flag now was nearly equivalent to flying a Nazi flag.
"It has just as much meaning and power and hate," he said.
He acknowledged that the city would likely face an uphill constitutional battle if it attempted to close the store, but said it should take action to remove Confederate flags from public display there.
"I do believe it is paramount to remove the hate symbol from flying so openly to our people and to the people that come and visit our town," Pope said. "It is not a welcome image to people who visit our town."
