Goodloe Sutton, Newspaper Editor In Linden, Alabama, Says KKK Should Lynch Democrats

A local newspaper in Alabama published an article calling for the resurgence of white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to target "Democrats in the Republican Party and Democrats [who] are plotting to raise taxes in Alabama."

The article, originally published Feb. 14, came to attention Monday, when Chip Brownlee, a journalist working for the Auburn Plainsman, posted a blurb titled, “Klan Needs To Ride Again” in order to criticize it. It was taken from the article published in Democrat-Reporter, a local newspaper in Linden, Alabama. Apart from the far-right hate group, the article also talked about slavery.

“Slaves, just freed after civil war, were not stupid. At times they borrowed their former masters’ robes and horses and rode through the night to frighten some evil doer. Sometimes they had to kill one or two of them, but so what,” the article read.

"As a newspaper editor myself it's disturbing to see this type of editorial printed," Brownlee said in some following tweets, after sharing the excerpt. "Granted, I'm the editor of a student newspaper, but all newspapers should be held to the highest ethical and moral standards. Editorials should be about new ideas, constructive criticism and opinion backed up by facts. To call for the return of domestic terrorism — no matter its form — is counterproductive and wrong. It's important to welcome and encourage differing opinions, but violence is never right."

When USA Today-affiliated Montgomery Advertiser reached out to Goodloe Sutton, the editor of Democrat-Reporter, he admitted he had not only approved the piece, but that he had also penned it himself.

Elaborating his views, Sutton said, "If we could get the Klan to go up there and clean out D.C., we'd all been better off,” which he clarified meant lynching. "We'll get the hemp ropes out, loop them over a tall limb and hang all of them," he added.

Further, Sutton defended his stance by saying, "... It's not calling for the lynchings of Americans. These are socialist-communists we're talking about. Do you know what socialism and communism is?"

When he was asked about his opinion about the KKK, he compared it to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), adding, "The Klan wasn't violent until they needed to be."

The newspaper editor also said he wasn’t fazed by the people reaching out to him over his opinions and in fact, he would welcome people to boycott him.

After coming across the article, Brownlee and social media users did some more digging into the archives of the newspaper and found it had a history of publishing offensive or tone-deaf content, including a piece about a friend of the author being accused of workplace sexual assault by multiple women, titled, “Don’t Even Get Close To Women.”

Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) condemned Sutton’s article, calling for his resignation. “OMG! What rock did this guy crawl out from under? This editorial is absolutely disgusting & he should resign -NOW! I have seen what happens when we stand by while people-especially those with influence- publish racist, hateful views. Words matter. Actions matter. Resign now!” he tweeted.

Upon being contacted by the Advertiser to enquire about Sutton, Felicia Mason, the executive director of the Alabama Press Association, the state trade association for newspapers in Alabama, issued the following statement: “We do not agree with the opinion. However, APA is not a policing agency. We simply have no authority over what our member newspapers publish."