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KKK holding rally in Madison, the city not the county

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ANDERSON, Ind. -- The Ku Klux Klan says it's planning a recruiting rally in Madison next month, the city in Jefferson County in southern Indiana, not Madison County in central Indiana as originally thought.

Last week, the Klan passed out literature in Johnson County with a phone number on it. RTV6's Derrik Thomas called the number, and eventually heard from Imperial Wizard Richard Preston.

Preston said the flyers are being distributed in 13-14 states, then launched into an attack against President Barack Obama.

"America has turned into a pile of garbage," he said. "We've got an illegal president who doesn't want to leave the White House."

Preston didn't explain how Obama is "illegal," but said his group is staging a rally at the Madison County Courthouse on September 24. Preston misspoke, actually intending to say the rally would be in the city of Madison, Indiana. 

"You are gonna see those flyers until God knows when" Preston said. "We are not gonna stop recruiting. We are not gonna stop building the Confederate White Knights. We are not gonna stop building the organization the way it was supposed to have been."

James Burgess, president of the Madison County NAACP, said the Klan isn't welcome in Madison County.

"It's a terrorist organization," he said. "There is no need for them to come here and stir up our young people."

Similar sentiments were expressed on the streets of Anderson.

"We don't want them here," said Angie Dearing. "At least me and my family don't want them here."

William Anderson said the group is "full of hatred."

"I don't do hate," he said. "Just because someone's skin is brown, the only difference to me is they've had more sun than we've had."

County commissioners said they haven't issued any rally permits, which makes sense once it was discovered that Preston named the wrong area.