Possibility Of Obama Being Elected Focus Of White-Power Conference

Olive Branch, MS (AHN) - A white-power conference being held at a hotel in DeSoto County, Mississippi, this weekend might pose a risk to public safety so officials have declared a state of emergency ahead the conference.

It is not known how many people will attend the European-American Unity and Rights Organization gathering at Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch this Friday through Sunday. The site is 20 minutes from the airport in Memphis.

Adding to concerns is the fact that David Duke, a former Louisiana legislator and former Ku Klux Klan figure, has been associated with the group. Registration for the event is through a website in Duke's name, advertised on his main website page.

According to his website, the purpose of the conference stems from the possibility of a black president being elected Tuesday. Over the past month, or so, Duke's statements on his website have become more explicit as to the reason for the conference as nationwide polls indicate the strong possibility that presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will indeed win.

On his website, Duke claims that "leftists and other assorted anti-White racists" tried to "intimidate the hotel and shut down our International EUROPEAN - AMERICAN conference."

Duke also refers to the event as an "historic gathering of White people who will stand up and declare that we not go quietly into the night with the prospect of a Black radical President of the United States!"

"Coming four days after the election for President, there is no more timely gathering for our people to stand up and tell the nation and the world that we oppose the prospects of this 'election from hell,'" Duke continues.

DeSoto County is within the Memphis, Tennessee metro area, but with a county-wide population of 149,393 and a population of 30,635 in Olive Branch, the area doesn't have many law enforcement personnel.

With the uncertainty surrounding the white-power conference, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Monday to declare a state of emergency effective beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.

The declaration allows county officials to bring in additional law enforcement from across the state if needed to cope with any possible disturbances resulting from the conference.

The emergency declaration also gives law enforcement access to private property and gives the scene commander the ability to commandeer it if necessary to deal with conditions, according to reports.