How former KKK Grand Dragon Bob Miles and his activities in the a half-century ago affects Livingston County’s reputation today was the subject of a presentation by the LivPo’s own Buddy Moorehouse at the final Fireside Service hosted by Chilson Hills Church and the Livingston Diversity Council on Aug. 27, 2020. The Rev. D.J. Reed and Chilson Hills Church has hosted a series of Fireside Services this season, all focusing on different topics of community concern.
Attending the event was U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who said that activities focusing on racial disparities and systemic racism — including a peaceful event in support of Black Lives Matter at the Brighton Millpond — have been taking placing throughout Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, as well as across the nation, since June.
Many of these activities were spurred by the killing of George Floyd, who lost his life as a Milwaukee police officer knelt on his neck. In addition to the event support Black Lives Matter in Brighton, others were held in Howell and Pinckney.
Moorehouse talked about the difference in coverage of Bob Miles by The Livingston County Press both before and during his tenure. He was joined for a conversation on the topic by Nicole Matthews Creech, president of the Livingston Diversity Council.
Attendance inside the church was limited, so the event was also live-streamed on Facebook, which you can watch by clicking here.
I Remember when Robert Miles was “rumored to be a klansman” , so many people of Livingston County pulled their business from him. Many “friends” no longer talked to him. Some wouldn’t even walk on the same side of the street. It was then that Bob decided to come out officially as a Klansman and a member of the KKK. My father, still treated Bob them same. He always figured he put his pants on the same way as every one else. He never felt he should pull his insurance from him.
When Bob was fired my Dad always found some extra mechanical work he could send Bob’s way. Bob and his wife mainly lived off her salary. Regardless of his beliefs, she was not a member of the Kkk.
Howell has the stigma and the memories from Bob’s Grand Dragon title but he didn’t really bother. Anyone. They pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t go into Howell for any shopping. I think Howell can move on from this with talking about this history . Talk with people that knew what was going on during that time. Howell is not forever stuck with this black mark!
Before Bob Miles was a member of the Klan or at least known to be I met him in the Howell home I grew up in. Dad invited him to dinner as he had just moved to Livingston County having taken a job with an insurance company as their area manager. Dad would do this with others moving here who were in the same industry. Bob Miles’s insurance company had no connection to Citizens’ Insurance. I do not recall its name. I remember where we all sat around the table in the dining room and remember Miles was physically a big man. The discussion focused on the economics of the area and insurance issues in general. There was no talk of race relations and no hint that Miles was going to be a Klan figure. A few years later when Robert Miles came out as a Klansman he was immediately fired from his job with his insurance company. I brought this up to Dad and he said “the poor fellow must have fallen off the deep end.” We had other more prominent house guests over the years back a half-century and further back including Governors, Congressmembers, and other public officials as well as a good share of local officials and civic leaders for example: Governors Soapy Williams, George Romney and US Senator Phil Hart (I discussed Hart’s visit with a CBS 60 minutes reporter), a US Senate DC office building is named after Hart. The late Roy Westran and his wife were guests on several occasions. Westran succeeded dad as Citizens’ president and believe he was one of the original organizers of the Livingston Diversity Council. I recommend the Livingston Diversity Council keep up the good work and make sure my former home area does not “fall off the deep end” in any extreme direction. Just to mention for good measure, in 2005 I was a recipient in Denver of the annual Civil Rights Award and in 2008 was named one of the 150 Denver area honorees for my civic work.