Racist Anti-Obama Fliers Distributed In New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. — Some residents of a northwestern New Jersey town received fliers last weekend that criticized the prospect of Democrat Barack Obama becoming the first black president. One national watchdog group said it may be the first distribution of racist fliers during the campaign.

Roxbury Mayor Tim Smith said the fliers were left at about 25 to 50 of the township's 8,000 homes. They show unflattering photos of Obama, including one that makes him look like Osama bin Laden above text that says: "Black Ruled Nations most unstable and violent in the world."

The black-and-white flier cites poverty, HIV and unemployment rates in Haiti and South Africa and says: "The United States of America will be next! Why should we seal our fate by allowing a black ruler to destroy us?"

Smith said he was sickened by what had occurred.

"It's not at all representative of our community," he said "This is a place where people take care of each other and nobody cares where you're from or what you look like."

Police Chief Mark Noll said the fliers were left in plastic bags, weighted with rocks, on lawns, driveways and in mailboxes. They are signed by the League of American Patriots, a white supremacist group with an address in Butler, N.J., about 45 minutes from Roxbury.

Telephone and e-mail messages left Tuesday for the League of American Patriots were not returned.

News of the fliers was first reported Monday by The Star-Ledger of Newark.

Noll said the incident was being investigated as a possible littering violation and not a hate crime because the group did not target certain homes.

Heidi Beirich, a director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks white supremacist movements nationwide, said the organization has seen Internet, e-mailed threats and negative talk about Obama in the white supremacist world. The Roxbury incident was thought to be the first distribution of racist fliers during the campaign.

Obama's New Jersey campaign office also did not return a telephone call for comment Tuesday.

Comments

[theone718]

I mean seriously, how can people like that live with themselves. What a shame.

[Candyx]

It's interesting when you have screwed up this country and want to continue the screw up you will do anything to win...including becoming a racist.

Oh I see let's scare the voters into voting us the "crook" back in!!!

[RightWingMarine]

Is this really national news? 25-50 people get an ugly letter and 300,000,000 need to read about it?

What I find to be more concerning is the investigation against the group that distributed the letters. Just because some people disagree with their message means they should be prosecuted? What about their rights to free speech? I get all kinds of crap I don't want thrown on my lawn by a small local paper that I've never read or asked for. We all get trash attatched to the doorknobs of our front doors by companies advertising their wares. Why should this group not get the same rights?

What is a hate crime? Why is a hate crime worse than a regular crime? What difference does the motivation of the criminal matter? Has legislating morality ever worked?

[robXdion]

DevilDog, you're gonna sit there and defend this crap? Un-frigging-believable! Marines like you make EOC reps and JAG Corps officers work overtime. I hope you didn't have any troops suffer under you're bigoted, soft-white supremacist sympathies, that's IF you ever were a leader, which I doubt. Trolls like you are why the Corps has earned the reputation of the most racist of all the military organizations. Legislating morality may not really work, but something has to make up for what your parents never taught you.

[RightWingMarine]

free speech means nothing if unpopular speech is not protected.

Because I believe in free speech means that I'm a bigot, poor leader and that my parents didn't properly raise me? You don't even know me. Perhaps my parents taught me that everyone has a right to their own opinion and should be free to express those opinions. I am likewise free to agree or not agree with their opinion but I am not free to silence them. Should we ban all books that advance a racist ideology? Should we round up those with incorrect thoughts and separate them from respectable society so they won't interfere with them? Where does the legislation end?

[ccrane]

"Noll said the incident was being investigated as a possible littering violation and not a hate crime because the group did not target certain homes."

You need to read the entire article before you run your mouth. They're being investigated for littering, and good for the local authorities for keeping their town clean. I can't abide litterers.

Though the fact that you can ask why a hate crime is worse than a 'regular' crime tells me that you don't want to listen to logic. White supremacists are willfully ignorant, hateful, and annoying to those of use with a brain and some compassion. So if the police want to annoy them with a litter rap, I say turnabout is fair play.

[RightWingMarine]

I agree that littering is terrible but this is not litter. It is political speech and that is protected. While you may not agree with what this organization has to say they still have the right to say it.

Why is questioning hate crime legislation mean that I won't listen to logic? If a crime is commited what difference does it make to the victim what the motivation was? If a person is murdered for money vs murdered for their skin color does that make them less dead?

[american2008]

You really need to get therapy pal! It's 2008 and your knuckle-dragging ideology is over. If you cant admit this is a sick disqusting symptom of American bigotry, then you are part of the problem. These 50 or so people may be the underlying feelings of millions in this country. When Obama gets elected, I believe this hatred will increase 10 fold. It's people like you who cannot admit that there is a problem and always make excuses for scum like these. You compare junk mail on your door to racist literature? For Gods sake, try and put yourself in the position of a black family that gets this stuff. I dont know if you are a "Christian", but if you are try reading the new testiment and take it to heart!

[RightWingMarine]

I agree that this is vile bigotry and I certainly don't espouse the view expressed in the letters but that does not mean I believe that group shouldn't have the right to express their bigotry.

What problem can I not admit? That speech should only be free so long as the majority agrees with what is said? In that case no, I cannot agree that that is a problem. I believe everyone has a right to their opinion and a right to express it, I am free to accept or reject their ideas.

So what if a black family received a letter? What kind of insular world could they live in where they have never been exposed to racism before? I imagine they wouldn't like it but it is something they will have to deal with. What about black or hispanic organizations that are anti- other ethnicities? Are those okay? Should members of those other ethnicities just have to suck it up and not complain?

[andj]

Ahh - so you mean its okay to send out letters discussing the stupidity, and inbreeding of rednecks, their silly creationist beliefs, their moronic version of Christianity and inciting rational people to exterminate them because the world would be a better and safer place without them???

Should we ridicule your religion- would you accept blasphemy?

should we do the same to muslims, jews, other ethnic minorities (you can use this cowardly tactic against the majority)

I dont know where you draw the line between freedom and hate crime?

[RightWingMarine]

Absolutely it is okay to send out the letters you mentioned. Everyone has a right to their opinion and to express their opinion. You are free to accept or reject their ideas.

My personal religious views are ridiculed frequently but I still hold them. Why should someone else have their opinion silenced because my feelings get hurt? What is the point of free speech if unpopular speech is not protected?

What is a hate crime? Why does the motivation of the criminal matter? If a crime is commited and it wasn't a hate crime, is the victim less of a victim?

[KC4Obama]

Hate crimes sometimes to into "real crime" as you put it. So thats why you stop these hate groups who hate because of skin color....why are you playing dumb? Ever heard of lynching? Ever heard of Emit Till? Google that name and that will explain exactly why this should be stopped. I urge everyone who dosen't understand hate or acts like they don't understand hate like RightWingMarine to Google the name Emit Till...you will be sickened by what you see.

[RightWingMarine]

I am familiar with the story of Emit Till and while tragic I don't see why speech today should be limited because of what happened. Could you elaborate? How much speech should be limited?

Because Emit is dead because of racism does that make him more dead? Does the motivation of the murders really make that much difference? Does it matter at all to Emit?

[jgf654]

This is gross. But I live across the street from a racist, so I'm not surprised.

[RepublicanForObama]

What is great about our country is that these type of events can occur in the daylight.
What is "not" great about our country is the fact that it just might work in the lonelyness of the voting booth.
White Female Republican For Obama

[honeydiva]

Surprised, only that 0ld's crew didn't get this going sooner.

[on2them]

Sick.

[sd4peace]

It is difficult to take the high road when everything inside of you wants to go down to the gutter and kick some serious A S S

[obamasOHangel]

True.

[ccmd]

If this country does not elect Obama because of his skin tent, then it deserves exactly what it gets.

[Ouroboros]

Everyone knows that after WWII and the Newark Riots, the American Nazis (Bund Party) moved out to Morris County and changed their registration to Republican.

[RaineyDay5]

I'm so saddened by this but not surprised.....

*Lord please protect Sen. Obama from these horrible attacks*

[robXdion]

Now that's the New Jersey some of us know! The same place that produced Geraldine Ferraro.

[odoreida]

Geraldine Ferraro was born in upstate New York. According to her biography, she has never lived in New Jersey. And explain what you have against Gerry Ferraro?

[robXdion]

She has family there. And do you REALLY have to ask what someone would have against Ferraro ON THIS SITE??? She's a bigot. She's demonstrated that in 1988 with her Jesse Jackson comments and this year's comments about Obama. All that crap about "he wouldn't be winning if he wasn't black!!" is utter BS. Obama being black ALONE wouldn't have mattered if he didn't have a message and wasn't able to inspire voters. By Ferraro's account ANY black person with a pulse could have shown up for the primaries and won. She's just angry a black man has achieved something she thought a white woman should have done first. The unspoken social hierarchy is that if a white man is on the top, the white woman must come in second. Any deviation from that MUST be rationalized with sexism. . . . but I've only heard feminist argue the sexism case in regards white women. Meanwhile, it's a free-for-all on Michelle Obama and NO ONE HAS MENTIONED SHIRLEY CHISOLM ONCE THIS WHOLE ELECTION. Do you even know who she is?

[BonnieJW]

I love NJ and I believe this is a very small stain on that state. The people there are truly the salt of the earth and I think 99% of them reject this.

[smark]

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I AM TRULY ASHAMED TO SAY THAT I EVER VOTED RE.PUBLICAN!!!!

[obamasOHangel]

There are also ray...cist Democrats.

[foomonkey]

i wouldn't peg the republicans on this one... this is simply a bunch of mindless bigots.

they need to be rounded up and dropped into a pit somewhere.

preferably with starving, rabid dogs

then again, i wouldn't want to wish that on the dogs.

[DJ23]

I'd like to see some Republicans or the McCain campaign come out publicly and discourage this behavior. But, I doubt that they will, because they think it will help them.

I'm past disgusted with this election season. It has revealed some ugly truths about this nation that I naively thought were, if not totally a thing of the past, minimal at best. but, like I said I guess I was naive.