El Paso civil rights leaders, officials condemn youth in KKK robes and demand school action
Teens dress in KKK costumes in El Paso (Source: KFOX14 in El Paso)
EL PASO, Texas - A viral video showing a group of young people wearing Ku Klux Klan-style robes and allegedly shouting racial slurs while walking through an El Paso neighborhood has sparked community outrage and a police investigation. This has led to local leaders and civil rights advocates demanding zero tolerance for white supremacist symbols.
Teens in El Paso dress in KKK costumes
El Paso civil rights leaders and city officials gathered at the courthouse to condemn youth wearing KKK robes and demand immediate action on racial harassment in schools.
‘Not a Joke’: Leaders reject social media display
The incident prompted the El Paso Branch of the NAACP, alongside elected officials, faith leaders, and community members, to gather outside the El Paso County Courthouse on Monday morning for a news conference calling for accountability and systemic action in area schools.
Carl B. Dwyer Jr., president of the El Paso NAACP, rejected assertions online and across the community that the display was merely a harmless Halloween costume or a joke.
What they're saying:
"It hurts," Dwyer, a 31-year U.S. Army veteran, told attendees. "Still to this day, in 2026, we have people that think it's okay to don white sheets, white robes, and white hats, emblematic of the most racist time and period of this country. It is not a joke, and it is not funny, and it's not to be taken lightly."
Dwyer linked the incident to broader systemic concerns in local schools, pointing to reports from parents of Black students being targeted with slurs and referencing a recent assault of two teenage Black female students at Pebble Hills High School as evidence of escalating tension.
"When they go unaccounted for, when they go unanswered, it just escalates and escalates," Dwyer said, urging superintendents from area school districts—including EPISD, YISD, Socorro, and Canutillo—to meet with the NAACP to address racial harassment and implement protections for students.
In a public statement released prior to the press conference, El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson expressed deep concern over the incident, noting that families have reached out to his office feeling afraid.
"Last week, some students chose to dress as members of the Ku Klux Klan," Johnson said. "I don’t know what they were thinking, but there’s nothing funny about it... The KKK represents a painful history of hate, racism, and violence. This isn’t something to joke about, and our young people need to understand that. We are better than this, El Paso."
Police reviewing video for potential charges
El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas confirmed in a public statement that the department is reviewing social media videos to determine if any laws, such as disorderly conduct, were violated.
"Symbols and language associated with the Ku Klux Klan represent a history of terror, violence, and racial hatred. They have no place in our community," Pacillas stated, urging anyone with information about the gathering to contact law enforcement.
Community leaders at the news conference emphasized that the incident touches on deep historical trauma. El Paso City Representative Chris Canales urged residents to confront the city's past and present, noting its history as part of the Confederacy.
Patrick Butler-Rab, executive director of Border Communities United, recalled the August 3, 2019, mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, warning of the real-world dangers of normalizing hate speech. "We saw in 2019 where the seeds of a joke can metastasize into a tragedy... that caused an enormous amount of pain in this community," Butler-Rab said. "Anti-Black racism is here. It is in El Paso. El Paso is not an exception."
Leah Hanany, an El Paso Independent School District trustee speaking in her individual capacity, called for "peer condemnation" of hate symbols, while representatives from the Links Incorporated, the East Side Central Coalition, and local faith leaders pledged ongoing community advocacy.
What's next:
NAACP Vice President Diane Williams announced that the chapter will hold a community town hall within the next 30 days featuring representatives from area school districts to address school-based incidents and parent concerns directly.
The Source: Information in this article is from the NAACP El Paso Branch, the El Paso Police Department and the El Paso mayor. Some elements in this story are from KFOX14 in El Paso.