White supremacist targets city residents with robocalls

Several Pittsburgh-area residents have received automated racist calls this week that glorify violence against African-Americans.

They say the calls praise white police officers who shoot and kill AfricanAmericans and mention the recent death of Antwon Rose II.

The calls, which last for about two minutes, say people should applaud their “heroes in blue” and give the officers medals.

The calls end by telling the listener that the message was sponsored by “The Road to Power” — the name of a podcast created by Scott Rhodes of Idaho, according to Joanna Mendelson, senior investigative researcher of the AntiDefamation League.

Mr. Rhodes previously organized calls to be sent to at least 50 Jewish organizations on the West Coast; those calls also said they were sponsored by “The Road to Power,” Ms. Mendelson said.

The West Coast calls were related to Mr. Rhodes’ endorsement of Patrick Little’s run for the seat of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Ms. Mendelson said. The calls attacked Ms. Feinstein, Israel and the Jewish community, she said. Ms. Mendelson said she believes the recent calls in Pittsburgh fit the description of Mr. Rhodes’ anti-Semitic calls.

Mr. Rhodes regularly refers to African-Americans and Jews in derogatory terms in his podcasts, which he began posting on a media sharing site several months ago, Ms. Mendelson said. The videos are advertised as “video podcasts for White Nationalists.”