A century ago, the Ku Klux Klan terrorized Southern Oregon

[L. Coyote]

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/21/a-century-ago-the-ku-klux-klan-terrorized-southern-oregon/

One hundred years ago, members of notorious hate group the Ku Klux Klan staged a series of so-called “night riding” attacks in Southern Oregon. They are the only known attacks of their kind in the state.

On Friday, March 17, 1922, Medford resident J.F. Hale — a white man — was lured from his home, kidnapped, blindfolded and driven to an isolated area along the Rogue River. He later told police that a mob of between 12 and 18 hooded men tied a noose around his neck and hoisted him into the air. When they let him go, they warned him to drop a pending lawsuit against a Klan member and break off his romantic relationships with young women in the area.

The next day, the Medford Mail Tribune ran the headline “J.F. Hale Given Neck Tie Party.”

The Klan had only arrived in Oregon about a year before as part of a nationwide Klan revival. And in Oregon, many of the organization’s main targets were white.

.................

Link to tweet

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. .

And in Oregon, many of the organization’s main targets were white.

Well, sure. The Oregon exclusion laws kept Black people out for a long time, and the results are still seen today.

[sop]

2. Oregon was founded as a racist white utopia.

In 1844 Oregon passed its first Black exclusionary law, prohibiting black people from living in the territory for more than three years. Blacks who broke this law were to receive 39 lashes every six months till they left. The second black exclusion law passed in 1849 barred blacks from entering or residing in Oregon territory. The final black exclusion law, in the Oregon Constitution when the territory became a state in 1859, prohibited blacks from owning property and making contracts. The racist language in Oregon's constitution was finally removed by voters in 2002, but 30% of voters still elected to keep the racist clause in the constitution.