CINCINNATI — Several fliers promoting a Kentucky-based Ku Klux Klan group were found on various streets in Clifton Sunday.
“I couldn't believe it,” said a woman, who asked WCPO not use her name out of fear of retaliation. “I was like, ‘This can't be real.’”
The woman spent about 40 minutes Sunday morning collecting fliers on Bishop Street, Glenmary Avenue and Loraine Avenue. She picked up about 25.
“I just kept seeing more,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure that I could get as many as possible, so no one else found them.”
The fliers promote messages of white supremacy. They also list a phone number that individuals can call to join a Kentucky-based KKK group.
“We are a law-abiding, patriotic, Christian organization serving white men, women and children,” said a man on the voicemail box connected to the listed number.
The Columbus Dispatch reported Sundaythat fliers from the same group had appeared in a Franklintown neighborhood. WCPO’s sister station in Lexington said fliers from the same group appeared in Central Kentucky last month.
“I think it's important that we talk about this incident but not share the actual propaganda, which is what they really want,” said Cincinnati city councilman Mark Jeffreys.
It’s not the only recent incident where hateful speech has been distributed in the Tri-State area. In June, antisemitic and racist fliers appeared in several Cincinnati neighborhoods.
“I don't think the answer is to recoil and not be who you are,” Jeffreys said.
Jeffreys said fighting it is difficult, with most hate speech protected.
“I think it just reinforces that we need to educate, not just our children, but everyone on why this is something that today, in 2023, should not be stood for,” he said.
He said that police had been notified of the fliers and encouraged others who find similar fliers to report them too. He added that the city would take action if they discover any property rights had been violated or any fliers had been placed in mailboxes.
Residents in Clifton said they won’t stand for it.
“Everyone cares about each other,” said the woman who picked the fliers up. “There's a lot of diversity and it's a very loving place.”
