KKK pamphlets condemned
Fliers handed out to revelers, placed on cars
Alexandra Harvey and her friends celebrated her birthday this past Saturday in Saratoga Springs. It was before 10 p.m. when four men approached two of Harvey’s friends with fliers.
It’s not abnormal to receive a flyer promoting a musical or comedy act along Broadway, but these fliers were a bit different.
One of the fliers had a message saying to “Save Our Nation” with a number underneath a crossedout DRUGS phrase presented by The Loyal White Knights of The Ku Klux Klan. A second flyer says to “Love your own race” and to “Stop Homosexuality & Race mixing” encouraging recipients to join the Klan today with a phone number and website.
“I thought it was kind of bold for somebody to just hand it to you on the street like we’re in 1920s south Alabama or something,” said Harvey, a teacher. “...I guess you don’t realize that kind of stuff is really so relevant. You realize that people have those opinions but for somebody to boldly walk up to you on the street and be like here, have this: No, thank you.”
A message left at the number found on the fliers wasn’t returned Monday.
Sunday morning the fliers then appeared on cars in downtown Saratoga Springs.
“On Sunday morning several residents of Saratoga Springs dis-
covered pamphlets on their cars and their front porches containing information about the Klu Klux Klan. There appear to be several different forms of these pamphlets. We as a City Council believe in the value of diversity in our community and are welcoming to people of all races, religions and beliefs. Organizations condoning hate speech or other hateful activities do not have a home in our City,” said Mayor Meg Kelly, Commissioner of Public Safety Peter Martin, Commissioner of Accounts John Franck, Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan and Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco in a joint statement. “The residents of our community have a proven history of supporting and standing up for one another, and this attempt to spread a sickening ideology will be silenced by voices of positivity in Saratoga Springs. None of the pamphlets that we have reviewed advocate violence or illegal activity. We hope that our community uses this incident as an opportunity to re-affirm the open-minded and welcoming nature of our City and its residents. Should you have any information on the creation or distribution of these pamphlets, please contact the Saratoga Spring Police Department at (518) 584-1800.”
Harvey and her friends were on Broadway, near Caroline Street, when the four men, wearing hats, handed out the fliers. Harvey’s two friends who received the fliers were a white female and a Middle Eastern man. Harvey said she was surprised to see something like this in Saratoga Springs.
“We were talking and walking and they were walking, so it wasn’t like we stopped and had any kind of interaction with them,” said Harvey. “By the time we even looked at the fliers, they were behind us.”
Saratoga Immigration Coalition, which was founded last year, didn’t provide a collective statement following the incident, but member Terry Diggory said, “the message of hatred and division that the Ku Klux Klan dissemination is directly opposite to the message of welcome and inclusion that the Saratoga Immigration Coalition supports.”
Harvey said what happened is sad but it’s reality.
“Organizations condoning hate speech or other hateful activities do not have a home in our City.”