Views: 6
Kentucky KKK distributing flyers warning immigrants: ‘Leave now’
Bigoted flyers allegedly posted by members of a Ku Klux Klan group warned immigrants in Kentucky and other states to “leave now” in order to “avoid deportation.”
The flyer was posted in Ludlow, Kentucky, on January 20 — both Donald Trump’s inauguration day and the Martin Luther King Jr holiday — and its authors claim connection with the KKK.
After the flyer caused a stir locally, police in Ludlow took to Facebook to issue a message that the flyer had been taken down.
“After some discussion we have decided to take down the flyer because it serves no real purpose, but we will keep this post up. We are aware and have already taken one report for this disturbing and disgusting propaganda that is being passed around our community,” the department said in the Facebook post. “This hateful garbage has been turning up in other cities as well.”
The department went on to say that it does not “support or condone this type of behavior” and that anyone who feels harassed or threatened should call and file a police report.
Officials in Fort Wright and Bellevue, Kentucky both confirmed that they had received reports of the same flyer.
“While other communities have also been targeted with this type of material in the past, to our knowledge, this is the first time our community has had this type of disgusting material distributed,” Fort Wright Mayor Dave Hatter said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Council, staff, and I are outraged and dismayed that this has occurred in our community. It is especially appalling that it happened on Dr. Martin Luther King Day.”
The flyer comes in the wake of Trump’s extreme immigration rhetoric. He has declared a national emergency at the border, vowed to use the military to police the border, and has promised to resume mass deportations. The president is going so far as to challenge the U.S. Constitution and attempt to eliminate birthright citizenship, which is protected by the nation’s founding laws.
Police in Ludlow said they will seek criminal charges against those responsible for distributing the flyers, assuming they can find a suspect, but also noted that unless the flyers can be shown to have violated a law, they are protected speech under the First Amendment.
The flyer features a cartoon image of Uncle Sam kicking a family of four away from the U.S., holding a declaration that reads “mass deportation in 2025” and “report them all.”
Under the cartoon is a call from the alleged KKK group responsible for the flyer calling for more members, which can be purchased for a single dollar. The flyer lists its “realms” — its areas of operation — as being Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Each of the “realms” has separate phone numbers listed.
The Cincinnati Enquirer called the Ohio number and was directed to a voicemail that said “in January, the world’s going to change for a lot of people, especially the immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.”
Springfield, Ohio is where Trump and other Republicans lied about immigrants stealing and eating household pets.
The Kentucky phone number implores callers to join them in their fight against immigrants and LGBT+ people.
“Come stand with us and help fight against illegal immigration, homosexuality and every other form of wickedness and lawlessness,” the recording says. “We hope to hear from you soon. You have a great white day of white power.”
INDEPENDENT