Was the KKK on MLK Last Night?

Last night, a rumor spread across social media in Portland that the KKK was marching down Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in full regalia.

"Hey #Portland, be careful out there, the KKK is out in front of the Nike Store in full regalia on MLK!" #racism #hate" tweeted @lovemotionstory.

"The KKK is rolling deep in the Portland metro area right now but we can't promote hip-hop in our clubs. What do the police do in this town?" tweeted @EasyEgg.

These reports come at an interesting time.

Earlier this week, WW reported that the KKK was using jelly bean-based recruitment in Gresham. The president of the Urban League of Portland revealed Tuesday that the Oregon Department of Justice had been monitoring use of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. The whole country is keenly aware of racial tensions playing themselves out on college campuses nationwide.

But in this case, there appears to be no evidence—either pictures or police reports—of anything out of the ordinary on MLK on Thursday night.

As the rumors about the march swirled, the Portland Police Bureau chimed in on Twitter, saying: "Internet rumors of #KKK march in Portland this evening appear to be false. No reports to police of any such activity in any precinct."

There are still those who believe the PPB is not telling the truth: "When someone cites the Portland Public Bureau as a reliable source to prove the KKK were not on MLk 😂💀 you must be new here," wrote @natalievega on Twitter.

So, that's all very odd.

Is this a false rumor? If so, where did it start? If not, were you there? Pics would be useful.

UPDATE: Sgt. Pete Simpson, Portland Police spokesman, told us over the phone that he first heard about the alleged KKK march from media asking questions about it last night. He called dispatch and all precincts but, he says, "No police could verify it happened."

Simpson did not say whether or not the march definitely didn't happen though he did add: "If there were a march from the KKK, we would expect to get phone calls."

When asked where he thought the story of the march started, he said he wasn't sure but the best he could trace it back to was a Twitter account called @FaithInFerguson, which has since tweeted: "No eyewitnesses or proof of #KKK rally in Portland. Apologies for false alert."

Willamette Week