Article 2

Augusta Chronicle

Augusta man will organize protest

New demonstrators will rally against Burk, Jackson, KKK, others

March 10, 2003

By Heidi Coryell Williams

It's not a disease, but P.A.R.P. is spreading like a contagion.

With nearly 200 supporters, People Against Ridiculous Protests has exploded in recent days, said Deke Wiggins, the 29-year-old grain broker and native Augustan who is the chairman of the fledgling group's board.

On Monday, Mr. Wiggins visited the Richmond County Sheriff's Office to file his application for permission to protest during Masters Week. He represents the second Augusta group to apply for a permit to protest against Martha Burk, the chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations. Last week, Ms. Burk filed her application to protest Augusta National Golf Club's all-male membership.

His group also is protesting to make a point about other announced demonstrators, including a man who has formed his own splinter KKK group and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

"I guess you could say I came up with P.A.R.P. just a few days ago, but word spreads quick," Mr. Wiggins said. "This weekend, I called some friends, they told some people, and everybody thinks it's so ridiculous. So, it didn't take much tempting to get them on the bandwagon."

Mr. Wiggins' permit application asks for permission to protest in the same location and in similar numbers as Ms. Burk's request: a small group of 22 on either side of Magnolia Lane, in front of the Washington Road club, and a larger group of 175 across the street at Magnolia Drive and Washington Road.

Also on Monday, an Atlanta man filed an application for permission to protest during Masters Week in support of a war against Iraq.

A variety of other groups have picked up protest permit applications but not yet returned them, including Rainbow/PUSH, the New Black Panthers Party, a radio personality from Grand Rapids, Mich., and an anti-Jesse Jackson group from Los Angeles