Georgia rejects KKK 'Adopt-A-Highway' bid

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ATLANTA, June 13 (UPI) -- The state of Georgia rejected a Ku Klux Klan request to enter the state's "Adopt-A-Highway" program, transportation officials said in a statement.

Georgia's Department of Transportation announced Tuesday the KKK would not be allowed to adopt a mile-long stretch of highway in exchange for a sign advertising its efforts, saying the sign "would create a definite distraction to motorists."

"Promoting an organization with a history of inciting civil disturbance and social unrest would present a grave concern to the department," officials said in the statement announcing the rejection.

The International Keystone Knights of the KKK filed an "Adopt-A-Highway" application May 21. A klan spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he would sue the state if the request were rejected.