Bronx Community Fights Back Against Hateful Flyer Found In Woodlawn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There are new concerns in the Bronx, where at least one flyer with racists messages was posted across a neighborhood.
At least one flyer promoting "white strength" and "white excellence" was spotted in Woodlawn near Healy Field along Van Cortlandt Park East and Nursery Road by a resident walking his dog Thursday morning.
Some earlier reports said three flyers had been found, but the NYPD could only confirm the discovery of one.
Messages on the flyer encouraged "American and European men to unite" against African Americans and Muslims, and referred to African American men as "black thugs."
It also encouraged weekly demonstrations in the area, asking for supporters to be seen wearing a white hats and shirts ahead of meetings "coming soon."
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-81st) is joining a collective chorus of politicians and residents denouncing the sign.
"There are concerns that evil forces have been unleashed in this country, and people may have thought certain things to themselves in the past and somehow now feel freer to act upon it," Dinowitz said.
NYPD officers canvassed the whole park and did not find any more flyers. The city's Hate Crimes Taskforce also investigated.
The flyers were condemned in a statement from several local officials, including Dinowitz, Congressman Eliot Engel, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and council member Andrew Cohen, who cited the rising popularity of Donald Trump and other racist messages circulated in the summer by a group calling itself as "Identity Evropa."
Meanwhile, residents mobilized to start a GoFundMe page, creating signs of their own that say hate has no home in Woodlawn. While many believe it's an isolated case, residents want to be clear that hateful behavior of any kind won't be tolerated.
Organizers say the GoFundMe funds will be used to create posters, pins, and signs for homes and businesses denouncing hate in the neighborhood.
