Tim O’Neill has been living with his wife on South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach for the past six years. This morning, walking his dog, he noticed a KKK flier had been dropped on his property. It had also been dropped on the lawns or driveways of several neighbors down the block.
“Somebody went through a lot of trouble to do this and they were all down my block,” O’Neill said. “This is not appropriate behavior for our neighborhood.”
The flier singles out Jews and Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the organization that tracks hate groups and advocates on behalf of minorities and immigrants. The flier also seems to sarcastically warn of “white extinction” at Dees’s hands, and offers a website’s url, which is defunct (its registration expired on March 3), and a phone number, which is not. The number links to an area code in north-central North Carolina.
The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are headquartered in that area of the state—in Pelham, just south of the border with Virginia. That group appears to be responsible for a rash of KKK recruitment-by-fliers in several cities and towns in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia at least since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in mid-August, where members of the Loyal White Knights were among those marching with Confederate flags and tiki torches and chanting “white power” and “Jews will not replace us.”
An identical flier was dropped with candy in several neighborhoods in Leesburg, Va., 24 hours before Halloween. More explicit recruitment fliers from the same White Knights were dropped on Halloween night at about 30 homes in Winchester, in northern Virginia. Recruitment fliers, again from the White Knights, were found in Daytona Beach on Oct. 8, the third instance of recruitment fliers dropping in front of Volusia County homes in a month, according to the News-Journal. The same day, some 100 fliers were dropped along East Arlington Street homes in Jacksonville. Same story in Panama City Beach in late August.
Fliers from the same KKK group dropping them in several cities since the Charlottseville rally.
“I’m so upset,” Jane Mealy, who chairs the Flagler Beach City Commission (and is Jewish), said today after getting a copy of the flier emailed to her from O’Neill. The flier singles out Jews. “I forwarded it to the police chief, who’s out today, asking if they could do some sort of investigation as to where it came from. That’s horrible. There’s so much hate in this world these days, it’s awful. Beyond that, being personally upset and upset for the town—I really can’t—I can’t understand it. I just don’t.”
Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney could not be reached today. A spokesperson for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said there were no reports of similar fliers anywhere outside Flagler Beach over the weekend or today. But there is little law enforcement can do in the absence of direct threats even if the fliers are intimidating or bigoted. They are protected speech.
A man answering the phone number on the flier, in a recorded message, identifies himself as representing the Loyal White Knights. The phone message appears relatively current, providing the equivalent of a hostage’s image holding up a recent newspaper: the voice makes a reference to an alleged murder on Oct. 8 of a white woman in Pittsburgh by her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Darby, who is black, and who is named and slurred in the phone message. The recorded voice also commends the killer: “At least he took out a nigger lover.”
The message, two days out of date as of today, announces the organization’s next rally as a cross-burning “on November 4” in Virginia, without specifying the time or place, asking callers to leave a message if they want to join the “whites-only” event, or the organization. A message requesting comment about the fliers in Flagler Beach was not returned.
A few homes in Palm Coast and a street or two over the past few years have been spray-painted with vague and sloppy graffiti that could be interpreted to be inspired by or referring to the KKK. But the county has experienced a relative absence of hate crimes. And this is the first time fliers clearly purporting to be the KKK’s have been dropped in front of homes since recruiting fliers from the United Northern & Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan made an appearance on Easter Day in Palm Coast’s Seminole Woods. A member of that organization subsequently confirmed it was recruiting locally.
Following the 2010 recruitment fliers, Mealy denounced the distribution more forthrightly than any other public official in the county, urging the city to speak clearly and in unison after county officials had responded far more timidly and indirectly.
The flier found today is a black and white, showing a crude drawing of a man astride a locomotive and waving under a banner headline, “ATTENTION WHITE AMERICA!”
The locomotive is imprinted with the Star of David, its coal wagon is filled with cash. The wagons behind it refer to “United Klans of America,” once known as the largest Klan organization in the country and as the group linked to the bombing that killed for young girls at 16th Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963. Its leader, Robert Shelton, died in 2003. The organization is believed to have dissolved after it went bankrupt, losing a $7 million lawsuit in 1987 to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The man supposedly conducting the locomotive in the flier is Dees. The flier makes a direct reference to Dees below an “invitation” to ride the “J & L Railroad (Jew & Liberal).”
Two other names appear on wagons—those of Tom Metzger (the last name is misspelled on the flier), a skinhead and former “grand wizard” of the Klan, and his son John, whom the late Christopher Hitchens interviewed on CNBC in 1991. SPLC calls Tom Metzger, founder of the White Arian Resistance, “one of the most notorious living white supremacists in the United States.”
“This is the kind of stuff somebody’s got to say something,” O’Neill said of the fliers in Flagler Beach. “My wife and I both find it distasteful.”
FlaglerLive is now part of ProPublica‘s Documenting Hate initiative. If you’ve been the victim of a hate crime, tell us your story here.
Debbie Boyer says
Anyone have cameras on the block where the fliers were left?????
sad says
do some history on morris dees the guy is only about putting money in his pocket another scumbag in a world full of them
Selma Nieves Torres says
Innocent people being killed everyday, but the skum of the earth gets to walk freely.
Mark Thompson says
Like chemtrails, bigfoot, loch ness monster & emp
Carol Tutunjian North says
Disgusting…and so sad in our beautiful community
Jennifer Drinkhahn says
Nazis are far right extremists. Learn your history. Commies and Nazis hate each other – they are opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Bobby Paffrath says
Nazis are far left socialists… after the Nazis seized power in Germany, Antifa (the other socialist party vying for power) joined the Nazi ranks. Their ideology was almost exactly the same.
The saying in Germany was “Most brown shirts are red inside”
Jennifer Mendoza says
I love how people try to deflect and point the finger elsewhere. Delusional! These people exist and I’m not surprised it’s here in flagler county because this place has a lot of closet racists.
knightwatch says
This is what you get when you enable these people. When are Americans of all political stripes going to reject this? Where is the Republican Party? Oh yeah, hiding.
Marya Hudak says
Vile, disgusting, and has no place in society. These people need to be arrested and charged with hate crimes. I don’t think our founding fathers meant that the 1st amendment protects this as free speech.
Mark Nan says
Every single case that had been in the news was found out to be committed by someone who was not white, and who was just trying to stir up trouble. It’s very easy to find this out. The thing I find very sad is how gullible people are. I mean how incredibly stupid can a person be to believe that anyone would walk around distributing something that says “get on the white train ” and then actually think that people will run and join the white train gang. Stop watching so many movies written by libtards. And if white is just so evil and so wrong, then why in the world do brown and black people CHOOSE to live here in America or in Europe? Why do some even risk their lives to come live in these mostly white parts of the world? White people cant be that bad if that is the case…
Jennifer Mendoza says
Mark Nan first of all I can’t take anything you say seriously when you use idiotic terms like libtard. Secondly you’re the only one implying all white people are evil. White supremacists are evil but not all white people are. Your choice of words though makes me think your one of those closet racists I was speaking of.
Evelyne Borgeson Castiglione says
So horrible!
Pc res says
Disgusting. There is no place for this in Flagler County
Patrick Sisti says
Not even closet…. I get crap from people all the time, just because I look Muslim (I’m Italian,, brown skin and a beard)… if I get people saying bigoted things to me, I can’t imagine how bad it must be for actual middle easterners
Kathleen Doherty says
Get out, get out now.
Sharyn Meyer says
I’m so sick and tired of HATE Groups. Are they so Angry that they can’t get a LIFE!
Ann Simpson says
Jennifer Mendoza Do you live in Flagler county? There are racist on both sides everywhere. Flagler is small town but long way from racist. Just the opposite
Patrick Sisti says
Stay classy Flagler….
America Rinaldi says
For people who get the newspaper, but never any news from Palm Coast in it, thanks to your paper, we get to find out what’s going on,good or bad. Keep up the good work.
America Rinaldi says
I’m Portuguese and when I was in Jr high, I had a black girl always bullying me to stop acting white. I am white,lol. She ,I found out later, ran for public office. I’m also olive skinned.
Jacob Maier says
Screw those guys.
palmcoaster says
Trump era in a red state going back to the 60’s and earlier! Pathetic! Lets be on the watch to catch these KKK’s and give them the tar and feathers treatment? Would that be consider freedom of speech as well..?
MRC says
Interesting to observe history repeat itself. Back in the latter 1970’s my family had a similar type flyer left on our doorstep. My father who worked for the feds and turned the flyer over to the United States district court and soon the FBI became involved and the flyer was quickly traced back to a known Nazi sympathizer, who at the time produced a white supremacist newspaper. He soon had an arrest warrant issued, which prompted his departure from the U.S. to Germany, upon which he was promptly arrested due to zero tolerance of Nazi ideology in Germany. He was put in prison and served a number of years in a German prison. My have times changed! We have so complacent in the last few decades that we allow white supremacist scum to become a “protected” group. That is a total slap in the face to my father (who by the way helped liberate a concentration camp during WWII) and all the other men who served in WWII and gave their lives to help eradicate the Nazis from the face of the earth. And now we have to revisit this issue yet again? Perhaps we should round up all of these “Nazi wanna-best and ship them all over to Germany and see how long they walk the public streets. Apparently we have a short memory in the U.S..
Dona Gamonski says
Disgusting
Selma VilaFlor says
They had a rally at the University of Florida, right? Recently. I remember seeing videos of white supremacist leader Richard Spencer. Disgusting.
Amy Heidingsfelder says
When someone passes out a flyer like this it is not a prank. Even if the website doesn’t exist it still has a very dark and disgusting meaning behind it . Certainly no prank.
Rick Kang says
This HATRED must be STOPPED! We are ALL Americans and the rest of the World only wants our Foreign Aid ( paid by hard working Taxpayers)! STOP Foreign Aid and Start American Aid to help the Veterans,the working poor,and the Homeless! Stop all Racism in America, NOW!
Bernie Spindell says
Lies, FBI stats show you’re 3 times more likely to be killed by a conservative right wing nut job than a Islamic terrorist or democrat.. try research and reading, not stupidity and ignorance!
Frances Royals says
I hope more people will speak out against this kind of hatred towards other people. It is very sad to me and I live in the neighborhood that was targeted. I am reminded of that quote by Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” I often hear people say in reference to the rise of Nazi Germany or to slavery in America, “I don’t know how that could have happened.” In my opinion It happens when we lose our sense of humanity for others. Compassion and tolerance are important values and I believe that Flagler County is not a hate filled place. I have lived here for over 40 years and I have been coming here since I was six years old and I do not believe these fliers reflect the spirit of our little beach town, this wonderful county and the people here. As Anne Frank, who lived and died during one of the darkest times in history wrote, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death… I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.” The world stood up to Nazi Germany and it ended. The Civil War was fought to end slavery. Peace and goodness do return when people stand up against cruelty and injustice. To me, that is important.
Black Steel says
Since these losers are so miserable having to share the earth with others, maybe they should just fall on the sword that way they can permanently hide under a white sheet.
Zapper Flye says
That’s exactly what it’s for….FREE SPEECH NOT LIKED SPEECH
Old Hammock says
Wow, ignorance at its finest.
Jennifer Mendoza says
I do live here. Both sides of what? You’re either a racist or you’re not. There is either the racist side or not racist side lol. And like I said CLOSET racists.
woody says
Just tear it up and throw it away!Pay no mind to it,that’s what I do with Avon catalog’s that’s thrown in my driveway.
Martha Scaturro Williams says
Disgusting! This is making America great again?
Gilbert Cynthia says
Horrible
Tressie DuPont Paytas says
OMG I did not see any flyers I live in Flagler beach
Gail Wadsworth says
That is abhorrent!
Jan Lovelace Davis says
Disgraceful!!!
Gail Dean Mulkey says
This is disgusting, we are better than this Flagler
Wendy Crum Zachok says
I thought I got away from this!!
Karen Alcorn says
Woke up one morning and someone spray painted my car with KKK. Very scary. I’m new in Flagler and I’m starting to think I made a mistake moving here.
terminus says
Where is all this cash they claim I have? If they find it, can they give it to me ’cause if they think I should have hordes of it, well then, by all means, pile it on, I won’t turn it down. Also, if they think they can identify me just by looks they have another thing coming – I look like my WASP father not my Jewish mother. All of this is just so stupid. People are stupid. Hate thrives because those targeted become afraid. Don’t be afraid. Stand up and be proud of who you are – LGBT, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, African-American, Caucasian, Latino, Asian, etc. No one should admonish anyone for who they are if they are proud and comfortable with their own selves. If people stood tall and said no more hate, peace and love may finally win.
Sierrah James says
It’s not that bad. But you gotta think The high school FPC was one of the last segregated schools. But racism is still very prominent in this country anyway. Flagler a good place to stay if you want quietness.
Ann Simpson says
I find racist everywhere. But I find bigots mostly
Roberta Richardson says
THIS IS DISGUSTING!!!!!
TeddyBallGame says
I’m calling shenanigans on this. If the cops ever find the idiots that distributed the flyers I’ll bet that they turn out to be left wing idiots and not right wing idiots. It’s a very old trick intended to disparage opponents by promoting a falsehood and relies upon lazy people who are more than happy to spread any story that promotes their own agenda.
William Moya says
Mr. O’Neill finds “this behavior inappropriate” and “distasteful”, would a mailing with the American flag included in the flier be more be more to Mr. Oneill’s liking?
Commissioner Mealy just “can’t understand it”, i’ll be glad to go over it with you and it won’t take very long, lunch is on me.
Dena Jaeger says
No, it wasn’t FPC, it was Bunnell High. FPC wasn’t around during the segregation. It didn’t come until later.
Mondexian Mama says
Did they have a canvassing permit to leave the flyers? If not,trace the phone number on the flyer and arrest those cowards.
Linda Byrne Vento says
The chicken chits who drive around in the darkness…let them come in the daylight so we can all sick our dogs on them! Scumbags.
Violet says
At a minimum, they should be arrested for littering. You have to be living in a bubble if you think this stuff is “orchestrated”. These groups DO exist and members walk among us. It’s horrible and sad.
Violet says
l’d love to catch one of these sub-humans throwing this crap on my lawn!!!
JasonB says
Nothing surprising about the KKK making a comeback with the racist in chief in the white house.
Layla says
How about a nice big bonfire? That’s where filth like this belongs. Or a major recycling effort by the city. Either way, this gets relegated to the trash pile.
Chris A Pickett says
I find this type of thing totally and utterly DISGUSTING. But I’m also a realist and I find it a bit odd that not a SINGLE surveillance camera caught the perpetrators in the act. Seems cameras are nearly EVERYWHERE these days, but not a single photo. I think there would be a BIG surprise if and when they find the idiots responsible for this. And shortly thereafter they should go to state prison for a time for perpetrating a hate crime. I think there are a number of people on both sides of the political spectrum that just want to keep Americans divided. A divided populace is the easiest to manipulate.
Makeitso1701 says
Trump supporters,no doubt.
Dan Potter says
We always think that freedom of speech or expression is integral to the Constitution but it is not always. When you threaten someone you have taken some of their right to live a peaceful life and you have also used terroristic threatening as a means to imtimidate. Remember, “all men are created equal” under not only the law of the land but the law of God.
Nancy N. says
So what you’re saying Rick is that we should stop being racist inside America, but hey, it’s fine to be racist against people outside America? SMH
anon says
There are a LOT of Trump supporters that flaunt their hate who go into the businesses around Flagler Beach all the time. I saw a guy wearing a nazi hat last feb in Finns.