El Paso NAACP President Carl B. Dwyer Jr. called on residents and leaders to speak out against racism Monday, after an incident involving people wearing Ku Klux Klan masks in El Paso was seen on social media. At a news conference at the El Paso County Courthouse, Dwyer said the masks should not be treated as a joke or party costume. He said they represent a racist period in U.S. history. He also said the NAACP hears from parents whose children come home upset after being called racial slurs, and he cited a recent attack on two Black teenage girls at Pebble Hills High School. Dwyer did not say that incident was directly linked to the mask display.
El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas said the department is looking into the incident to determine whether any laws were violated. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said he was disappointed and disturbed by the actions of the people who dressed as Klan members. He said hate is not a costume and racism is not a joke.
El Paso resident Ron Stallworth, who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s as an undercover detective, said the costume represents more racism and hate. Texas State Senator Cesar Blanco also released a statement calling the behavior unacceptable and saying the actions of a few do not represent the Borderland community.