Residents of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York were shocked when the found that the Loyal White Knights of the KKK distributed Valentines-themed flyers in their community.
In keeping with tomorrow’s theme of love and happy relationships, the flyers prescribed certain rules for dating, arguing specifically against interracial couples, with slogans like “stop race mixing” and “love your own race.”
While the flyers are technically covered by free speech, police are still looking into the incident. Although in the past, they have only been able to charge perpetrators with littering.
“The biggest thing that I think is concerning is in a residential neighborhood and someone is putting out flyers on cars, its not for free restaurant food or coupons, it’s the KKK,” Lieutenant Bob Jillson of Saratoga Springs Police told WRGB-TV.
Residents are shaken
Residents of the area, who found the disturbing messages distributed on Sunday are still reeling.
“It was horrible what was on there you know, slurs and racial slurs,” said Enda Cormican according to WNYT-TV..
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Skidmore College student Enrico Patarini believes the community is more sensitive to diversity and inclusion than others may assume. “I didn’t expect that something had happened like that in this area. I don’t feel that that’s a general consensus of the people who live here.”
Cormican agreed, saying the flyers were a “one-off crazy situation” with “no history of that happening here.
A history of hate
But according to NewYorkUpstate.com, Saratoga Springs was hit with KKK flyers of a similar nature in May 2017 and the adjacent area has seen plenty of other incidents.
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Last year, the KKK also used a Valentine’s-themed campaign to entice residents just one county over, in Fort Plain. And more recently, the Klan decided that Martin Luther King Day was the perfect opportunity to spread their hatred in Fulton County.