El Paso police probe viral KKK robes video after community leaders demand school accountability

El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas confirmed that investigators are reviewing social media footage to determine if a group of young people broke the law during a recent neighborhood walk. The department is specifically examining the video for potential disorderly conduct violations. Pacillas stated that the symbols and language associated with the Ku Klux Klan have no place in the community. He urged anyone with information about the gathering to contact law enforcement immediately.

The investigation follows a viral video showing youths in white robes and hats walking through a local area. Some reports indicate the group shouted racial slurs. The footage prompted a large gathering of community leaders outside the El Paso County Courthouse on Monday morning. The El Paso Branch of the NAACP, elected officials, and faith leaders used the event to call for systemic action in local schools. They rejected the idea that the display was a harmless Halloween costume.

Carl B. Dwyer Jr., president of the El Paso NAACP and a 31-year U.S. Army veteran, addressed the crowd directly. He argued that the incident reflects a deeper issue in the city. "It hurts," Dwyer said. "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 connected the recent video to a pattern of racial harassment in schools. He cited reports of Black students being targeted with slurs. He also referenced a recent assault on two teenage Black female students at Pebble Hills High School. Dwyer urged superintendents from the El Paso, Ysleta, Socorro, and Canutillo school districts to meet with the NAACP. He requested that they implement new protections for students. "When they go unaccounted for, when they go unanswered, it just escalates and escalates," he said.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson released a public statement before the press conference. He noted that families have reached out to his office expressing fear. Johnson said the KKK represents a painful history of hate, racism, and violence. "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."

City Representative Chris Canales spoke at the news conference about the city's historical context. He urged residents to confront the past and present, noting El Paso's history as part of the Confederacy. Patrick Butler-Rab, executive director of Border Communities United, recalled the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart on August 3, 2019. He warned that normalizing hate speech carries real dangers. "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. Representatives from the Links Incorporated and the East Side Central Coalition pledged to continue community advocacy. Faith leaders also joined the call for action. The coalition of groups aims to keep pressure on school administrators until changes are made.

NAACP Vice President Diane Williams announced the next step in the process. The chapter will hold a community town hall within 30 days. The meeting will feature representatives from area school districts. They will address school-based incidents and parent concerns directly with residents.

The police review is currently ongoing. The department has not yet determined if charges will be filed. The NAACP chapter will release details about the town hall date in the coming weeks. School district superintendents have not yet confirmed if they will accept the NAACP's invitation to meet.