HAMILTON COUNTY – Police in various Indiana communities are investigating after racist flyers showed up in some streets and mailboxes.
“Leave now, avoid deportation,” reads the flyer, found scattered around a handful of Hoosier neighborhoods.
First, they appeared up north in the South Bend area. Then, the flyers were distributed in Hamilton County – calling on people to track and report immigrants.
“They hope that they can pass along this sort of sick and twisted ideology to other people who may be prone to believing it or even joining or supporting their cause,” said Jake Kurz, a spokesperson with the Anti-Defamation League.
Kurz said similar “flyerings” are becoming all too common in the central United States. Responsibility for this batch has been claimed by a Kentucky-based group affiliated with the KKK.
“A couple of states like Illinois have had a lot of success with something as simple as littering ordinances – making an ordinance around littering, hate speech,” Kurz said. “The easiest way to combat this is to report it to authorities.”
At least three local agencies have received reports, and all rejected FOX59/CBS4’s requests for interviews.
Carmel police shared the following statement Tuesday:
“We have been investigating. We believe this individual lives in another state. In previous circumstances in consultation with our prosecutor’s office, it was determined there was no criminal act committed. We do not have any belief that there is a danger to our community.”
Westfield police also weighed in on the flyers.
“We are aware of the flyers being found in various locations all over the state, and it was reported that some were found scattered on a road in Westfield. It is our understanding the group responsible is out of Kentucky. No other activity has been reported here. It will always be the mission of the Westfield Police Department to serve and protect all of our residents.”
Fishers police confirmed one report of flyers found in a neighborhood but declined to comment further, saying they don’t want to give the group more attention.
“Not commenting on it will not make it go away. Rejecting it in a visible, aggressive way is what will make it go away,” said Eunice Trotter, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program.
Trotter believes the flyers are a product of the current, country-wide political climate kicking up remnants of the KKK’s deep roots in Indiana. As long as we remember the dark periods of this state’s history, Trotter said she’s confident sound minds will prevail this time.
“We need to set boundaries in this state, in this city, in this country that say, we’re not going to allow this. We’re not going to condone this. This is America. This is Indiana. This is Westfield, Fishers, Indianapolis, and you will not do that here,” Trotter added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
