But just before 1 p.m., fights broke out, with people punching and kicking each other and throwing rocks. Right-wing groups led by an Arkansas group called Confederate States III%, had applied for a permit to hold a rally in Stone Mountain Park, where there's a giant sculpture of Confederate leaders. But the Stone Mountain Memorial Association denied the permit on Aug. 4, citing a violent clash between groups in April 2016, spokesman John Bankhead said. Although the park has historically been a gathering spot for white supremacists, the adjoining city of Stone Mountain has a majority-Black population today. The park at Stone Mountain markets itself as a family theme park rather than a shrine to the “Lost Cause” mythology that romanticizes the Confederacy as chivalrous defenders of states’ rights.

Source: ABC News August 15, 2020 18:45 UTC