JASPER, Texas (CNN) -- Proclaiming their innocence and declaring the dragging death of a black Jasper resident a senseless act of violence, a small group of Ku Klux Klansmen staged a rally in front of the county courthouse Saturday.

About 18 Klansmen participated in what was billed as a peaceful rally to protest the killing of James Byrd Jr., 49, who was chained to a pickup truck June 7 and dragged along a winding rural road. Byrd's body was ripped to pieces over 2 1/2 miles.

VXTREME
CNN's Charles Zewe reports on Saturday's Ku Klux Klan rally in Jasper, Texas
	2 min. 20 sec. VXtreme video

Three white men, Shawn Berry and John King, both 23, and Lawrence Brewer Jr., 31, are charged with the slaying. Prosecutors may seek the death penalty.

The KKK rally was aimed at showing Jasper the group had nothing to do with Byrd's death, group leaders said.

A New Black Panther Party member

Jasper officials and residents had feared the rally could become violent, as members of the New Black Panther Party had vowed to arm themselves and take up positions around town to protect Jasper's black residents.

Before the KKK rally began, members of the New Black Panther Party walked through Jasper's streets, chanting "black power" and warning of violence if there were problems for blacks.

The Klansmen, apparently not eager for a confrontation, had no plans to march through town.

They were protected by the Texas Highway Patrol, which prompted some heckling among townsfolk who wanted to know where their tax dollars were going.

KKK: Byrd's death 'a tragedy'

On Friday, Klan leader Michael Lowe of Waco said the rally was a chance to disavow the crime that stunned the nation.

"We're here to condemn the murder of Mr. Byrd and to say we had nothing to do with it," said Lowe, who serves as regional director of the KKK's operations in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. "It's a tragedy."

Lowe insisted the rally would be peaceful.

Earlier this week, an attorney for the New Black Panther Party said members would be in town with shotguns. Malik Z. Shabazz said some members will "monitor" the Klan rally while others will be stationed near the homes of black residents.

Some Jasper residents said they were dreading the showdown. Through clenched teeth, they voiced their contempt for Michael Lowe as he staged impromptu news conferences Friday to hype the rally.

"We're praying for rain," one woman said as she spied Lowe surrounded by reporters.

"It would be God's own miracle," added a friend.

Both declined to give their names.

Jesse Jackson: Don't watch, go fish

As Lowe met with reporters, Sheriff Billy Rowles huddled with area law officers to review security plans. Jasper streets were to be closed to car traffic for a two-block radius around the courthouse.

At the Democratic State Convention in San Antonio, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said he hoped Jasper residents would stay away from the Klan rally.

"They need an audience, and people in Jasper ought to go fishing," he said. "This is a time to choose healing and hope over hate, hurt and hostility."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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