ANDERSON TOWNSHIP — Several Democratic candidates for school board and their supporters have been targeted in Anderson Township.
Supporters woke up to find a message planted near their campaign yard signs.
Several homeowners found Chinese government flags placed around their yard signs Monday morning.
The flags were planted next to the signs of Democratic candidates for school board. Some neighbors say it was a political message comparing the Democratic slate for school board to communists.
Rachel Baker is a Democrat running for school board. She says it's a personal attack.
Baker is the mother of three children, who are adopted from China.
She told WCPO that whoever planted these are trying to use race and national origin to create division within the community.
"Regardless of what the message is... Our kids are watching. It's important that we model civil respectful behavior and we can disagree with people and discuss our views, but taking it to putting things in other people's yards in the middle of the night is taking it to a different level I think," Baker told WCPO.
Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Gwen McFarland told WCPO she thinks this is a blatant attempt to intimidate the candidates.
The race itself has already been pretty heated. The district has been in the spotlight a lot, with parents very outspoken on both sides of the district's mask policy.
One homeowner who had the flags placed in his yard has since replaced them with American flags.
He said he plans to hand more American flags out to other people in the neighborhood as well.
