They did not wait for a court ruling.

They did not ask the Klan to reconsider.

They showed up in overwhelming numbers and made the rally impossible.

The result was messy, risky, and impossible to romanticize safely.

But it worked.

No one was killed.

The rally collapsed.

The Klan did not return for another public gathering in the county.

The Sheriff And The Problem Of Preventing Bloodshed

Law enforcement faced a difficult situation before the rally even began.