A North Carolina-based faction of the Ku Klux Klan sent flyers down to New Smyrna Beach on the southern Atlantic coast of Florida for a recruitment campaign. Florida KKK members trailed through a neighborhood at night, leaving flyers and recruting information in the front yards of residents. The neighborhood was a mostly black neighborhood.
Tim Washington, a New Smyrna Beach resident, noticed one of the flyers on the ground while he was on his way to work. On the flyer, which was inserted into a clear plastic bag possibly meant to protect the paper from deterioration by result of absorbing morning dew, were the words “Our Race is Our Nation,” surrounding a sketch of a klansman.
Upon finding the flyers, Washington, along with three other neighbors, notified the police of the odd paper. Much buzz and confusion occurred throughout the neighborhood as many more residents found papers emblazoned with the picture of a KKK member littered their yards. The flyers were met with disgust among the residents, especially Washington.
“I think it’s shallow, this day and age,” said Washington.
WFTV, who originally reported on the story, conducted a phone interview with Klan leader Robert Jones. Reporter Ryan Hughes mentioned to Jones that “You say this was a recruiting effort; however, your group targeted a predominately black neighborhood.”
To which Jones replied with a thick twang, “Well, we don’t have no way of judging where we’re putting the fliers at.”
WFTV reported that the KKK plans on passing 600 flyers over the course of their recruiting efforts, and hasn’t recruited anyone from that area.
Josh is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @dnJdeli.
