By The Free Press | Created at 2025-04-03 17:57:10 | Updated at 2025-04-04 19:30:34
1 day ago
Last Saturday, we published an explosive story by our reporter Frannie Block about a “hate crime” that shook the town of Evanston, Illinois, in 2022.
After three nooses were found in a bush near Haven Middle School, an 11-year-old boy and his 12-year-old friend were vilified as racists, and a family was driven out of town. Now, two and a half years later, the father of the second boy has revealed the truth to The Free Press. As police concluded in their report, the nooses were not a symbol of racial hatred—but a “cry for help” from the younger boy, as his friend stood by to offer him support.
The story sparked a huge response from our readers, in part because it showed how the racial reckoning in the wake of George Floyd’s death led to an overcorrection that has punished innocent people—many of whom are still waiting for justice.
Last Tuesday, Frannie hosted a livestream conversation with Mike Klotz, the 12-year-old’s father, who told how he was accused of raising a white supremacist—“a social death sentence” in the liberal town of Evanston.
That conversation was recorded and is now available for paid subscribers to watch. Listen to Frannie and Mike talk about the story, and him answer the questions many of you have been asking, such as:
Why did he decide to go public for the first time with The Free Press?
How can it be that he still considers himself “a proud progressive” after being targeted by what was arguably a progressive mob?
And can people’s minds ever be changed once a narrative is set in stone?
Livestream conversations like these are one of the many benefits of becoming a paid subscriber to The Free Press. Upgrade today and never miss a chance to meet our reporters and hear their subjects tell the story behind our most important stories.
To get access to this livestream and future paid-subscriber livestreams, become a paid subscriber today:
Maintaining The Free Press is Expensive!
To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Subscriber Benefits:
Full access to all articles, investigations and columns
Access to the comments section on every piece we publish
Weekly columns from Nellie Bowles, Douglas Murray, and Bari Weiss
First chance to purchase tickets for live Free Press events
