Openly gay Mayor Jim Gray had to deny outlandish allegations that he is a member of the Ku Klux Klan, a claim made by an unknown Twitter account that claimed to be associated with the hacktivist group “Anonymous.”

“This allegation from the group Anonymous is false, insulting and ridiculous,” Mayor Gray tweeted after hearing of these allegations. “I have never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK.”

While the claim of a homosexual liberal being in the KKK is ridiculous, Anonymous plans to release the names of more than 1,000 Klan members on Nov. 5. Are we to believe this list, and begin a witch-hunt to weed out undercover racists? Or is this just an attempt to tarnish reputations of public figures and officials?

Founded in 1866, the KKK allows members to wear robes and hoods giving them the ability to hide their identity.

It is known that Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black was a member of the Birmingham chapter, but who else is associated with the group? Public figures have lost their jobs for having affiliations with the Klan.

In 2014, Florida police officer George Hunnewell was fired and Deputy Chief David Borst resigned after the FBI reported that both were members of the KKK. Officer Borst worked for the department for over 20 years. And in 2015, detective Raymond Mott was fired after a picture showing him giving the Nazi salute while wearing a KKK crest, was published.

These officers were involved with an uncountable number of arrests, and their unknown affiliation with the Klan brings all of the arrests involving minorities into question. Can police officers properly do their job while hating the people they swear to protect? Can a senator properly represent a state, while hating a portion of its citizens?

While there is no weight in the allegations against Gray, the proposed list could begin a serious investigation into the personal lives of public figures. If you cannot show empathy towards or care about a group you are chosen to represent, there is no way to properly represent them. Their interest and needs will never be urgent to you, and you do not deserve your position.