Flickr Arete13.
Residents of a northwest Georgia neighborhood have seen an influx of Ku Klux Klan literature this month.
The notorious hate group is disseminating recruitment fliers around the Floyd County area in the wake of police shootings in Dallas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Rome News-Tribune reports.
The flier, wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag, accuses African-American-led activist groups of inciting violence against whites and law enforcement officials.
“Black Lives Matter, Black Panthers are telling followers to kill white people and police officers in the name of justice for the killing of Negro’s [sic] by policemen in the line of duty,” the flier reads.
“These Negro’s were not innocent, they were thugs breaking the law, and standing up against police,” the note continued, apparently referring to Alton Sterling, 37, who was fatally shot by officers in Baton Rouge on July 5, and Philando Castile, 32, killed by officers in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, one day later.
Courtesy Rome Times-Tribune.
The Loyal White Knights of the Klan call on citizens to join the “only organization standing up for whites,” leaving a 24/7 hotline number and two websites as contact information.
“It’s sad, I think, and it’s pure stupidity really,” Lisa Hatcher said in an interview with CBS46. “I really didn’t think that they were even around anymore. They obviously are because they were in the neighborhood.”
Hatcher, who is biracial, told the local news station she was concerned that the fliers appeared to be limited to mixed race residences in her Rome neighborhood.
Tamala Jackson lives in nearby Shannon. The African-American woman said she and her white neighbors found fliers on their driveways, per the Times-Tribune. She expressed worry for the safety of her adult sons, given that the fliers were handed out at night.
A Floyd County police lieutenant told the Associated Press officials had not confirmed whether the group identified on the message was responsible for the dispersal.
The North Carolina-based chapter has also been active in its home state, where Fayetteville citizens complained about the disturbing letters over the weekend.
CBS affiliate WNCN reports locals found four different pamphlets naming the group around the city. One flier reportedly read, “Anyone of you black apes caught ‘making eyes’ at a white girl will be beaten with rats…”
Massey Hill resident Bill Nunnery said he found one outside his home Saturday morning. He called the flier “ignorant.”
“You want me to join something, come knock on my door like a man, don’t send me this crap right here. That way I can tell you how ignorant you are and slam the door in your face,” Nunnery told the station.
Police officials encouraged those feeling threatened by the messages to call authorities, as some of the fliers may qualify as misdemeanor ethnic intimidation in the state.
