The thumbnail is a stock photo image of the KKK flag and is not directly affiliated with this story.
Fort Smith's first black mayor, Mayor George McGill, was asked earlier this year about the "KKK" welded on the front of a building in the city's downtown.
Although Mayor Griffin isn't aware of the building's affiliation with the white supremacist group that has a long-standing history for racial hate crimes across the country, he said letters symbolizing the Ku Klux Klan are "offensive," and that the KKK is a "shameful organization."
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The letters on the facade of the building have since been covered with U.S. Marshals stars, symbolizing the city once serving as the regional headquarters.
According to the Associated Press, the building's owners agreed to cover the offensive letters after being confronted by the mayor.