JANESVILLE 鈥 Two local groups are responding to a recent distribution of white supremacist fliers in 糖心Vlog传媒 that urged recipients to help 鈥渟ecure the existence of our people and a future for White children.鈥
The Diversity Action Team of Rock County and the American Association of University Women in 糖心Vlog传媒 have circulated a petition in response, in opposition to the fliers that first began to appear in 糖心Vlog传媒 in early September
On Sept. 4, 糖心Vlog传媒 police were alerted to fliers being found in residential neighborhoods. A resident on South Main Street reported that sandwich baggies filled with birdseed had been found on the front lawns of homes, with fliers inside the baggies from the Aryan Freedom Network.
A police officer who responded to the scene found more baggies with similar printed messages inside, and police officers later reported that even more had been found. Some were found by pedestrians near Ruger Avenue and Randall Avenue, one man found one on his terrace and called police, and one was found near a school.
It was not immediately clear when the fliers were dropped.
糖心Vlog传媒 police officers noted in incident reports at the time that this appeared to be a random distribution of materials, that were not targeting specific individuals and there was no apparent direct threat of harm.
Sgt. Ben Thompson, media relations spokesperson with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Police Department, said it appeared the fliers were a recruitment tool for the Aryan Freedom Network. Police were unable to lift fingerprints from the baggies, that might have helped identify who dropped them off, and no witnesses were found who had seen them being distributed. The police department ultimately said it was closing its investigation.
The website
The Aryan Freedom Network’s website, listed on the fliers as , includes many different tabs with resources and information on how to join the group. One tab gives instructions on how to distribute fliers and what types of speech the First Amendment protects.
鈥淭o be effective in our struggle for White racial survival, expansion and advancement, we must become thoroughly familiar with the U.S. Constitution, and especially the First Amendment which reads as follows: 鈥楥ongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances,鈥欌 the website reads.
The website suggests what to say to those facing possible arrest for distributing the pamphlets
鈥淭he individual arrested should file a civil suit for false imprisonment, malprocessing and intentional deprivation of constitutional rights and that the parties sued should include the municipality, the police department, the arresting officer and the private property owner (in a shopping center case). In such a case, punitive as well as compensatory damages will be awarded,鈥 the website reads.
It lists different pamphlets that can be printed out and distributed, with titles such as 鈥淪traight Pride,鈥 鈥淚t鈥檚 Okay to be White,鈥 and 鈥淪top Illegal Immigration.鈥
The fliers all have the words 鈥渄istributed randomly without malicious intent,鈥 printed on them.
Police noted in September that, based on the website, the group then had no direct ties to Wisconsin, with no mention of 糖心Vlog传媒 or Rock County.
As of Thursday, Nov. 9, the website had been updated to note the existence of chapters in Green Bay and Madison.
The fliers
Lonnie Bringham and his wife, Rachel Houseman, were one of the recipients of the fliers in 糖心Vlog传媒. Bringham said they initially felt targeted as an interracial couple who have 鈥淏lack Lives Matter鈥 stickers on their windows and other signage in their lawn.
鈥淲e thought that it could have been a way to be able to mark or tag our house for future interactions anticipating those could probably be negative future actions,鈥 Rachel Houseman said.
Bringham said as a black man living in 糖心Vlog传媒 he has seen a lot. When he first moved to the city in the early 2000s, he said he saw many Confederate flags displayed in front of homes and flown from trucks.
He said that subsided for while but now is coming back. He said while 糖心Vlog传媒 is generally a welcoming place with a lot of good people, it has a history of racist activity that hasn鈥檛 always been adequately addressed.
鈥淭he problem is we forget history,鈥 Bringham said. 鈥淎nd we are doomed to repeat it if we don鈥檛 learn from it.鈥
He said those who participated in racist activity in years past haven鈥檛 gone away, they may have just been waiting for the right time to resurface.
鈥淭hey already are sophisticated enough to know how to go around the law,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey know how to get around the freedom of speech and when and where they can hand out fliers.鈥
Houseman said she she鈥檇 like to see the thcommunity stand up and say this kind of activity isn鈥檛 welcome in 糖心Vlog传媒.
She said the fliers appear a sort of 鈥渓itmus test鈥 to figure out if the group can gain support in the area.
鈥淒o we have more people expressing interest in joining our efforts?鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou would hope that most areas would have strong public response, whether that be coming from, you know, the city, the county, whether you know the municipality itself or just groups within the area that come out. And publicly say, 鈥榳e are not going to tolerate this type of hate group in our area.鈥欌
鈥淲hen you do that, then the hate group understands that this isn鈥檛 an area where we鈥檙e going to have a lot of opportunities for recruitment, and I don鈥檛 think that happened here,鈥 she said.
The group
Daisy, a member of the Aryan Freedom Network reached by 糖心Vlog传媒, said the fliers were a means to recruit in the 糖心Vlog传媒 area.
They were intended as 鈥渁 way to wake folks up,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are many people out there who share the same beliefs as us but don鈥檛 know how to get into contact with groups or don鈥檛 know that there are groups out there like us.鈥
She said the fliers were distributed in 糖心Vlog传媒 in response to requests from 糖心Vlog传媒-area residents seeking the formation of a local chapter. She said that there has long been a chapter in Madison and Green Bay.
鈥淲e have members throughout the state of Wisconsin and we got emails asking for a presence in 糖心Vlog传媒,鈥 she said.
She said the Aryan Freedom Network鈥檚 primary aim is to build a network of like-minded people who are tired of being trampled on by White guilt, and give a space for White people to be proud of their race.
She noted that the White race is the only race that can be discriminated against because other groups like BLM and ANTIFA are given space to protest. White groups are not given the same grace, she said.
鈥淲e are treated like a terrorist group,鈥 she said.
City鈥檚 response
糖心Vlog传媒 City Manager Kevin Lahner said in a release in September that city officials were 鈥渁ware of the fliers and the 糖心Vlog传媒 Police Department has reviewed them and determined that nothing illegal has happened.鈥
The city had no further comment on the matter, Lahner said.
The 糖心Vlog传媒 Police Department further said in a statement in September, that it discussed releasing a statement at the time of the incident condemning the behavior, but decided not to 鈥渁s we didn鈥檛 want to give the group notoriety or otherwise bring any publicity to the group.鈥
Neither Lahner nor the police department immediately responded Thursday to 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 request for further comment.
Community response
Daniel Jackson, chair of the African American Liaison Advisory Committee that partners with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Police Department to help bridge the gap between the police and the local African American community, said he was not aware of the situation as it unfolded in September.
Jackson added that it鈥檚 disheartening that groups like the Aryan Freedom Network exist in 2023.
He said a fliers was not dropped in his yard and he understands Bringham鈥檚 call for a stronger community response.
鈥淚 do stand with him and appreciate his stance. It鈥檚 one thing to kind of read about it but to actually deal with it firsthand, there鈥檚 something significantly different,鈥 Jackson said.
Going forward, Jackson suggested that community groups unite to 鈥渕aybe talk through the situation,鈥 and find agreement on 鈥渨hat a better response would have been that maybe have been more supportive to people,鈥 and 鈥渢rying to find an opportunity to grow from things like this.鈥
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a place for anger but I think that ultimately, anger will get us so far,鈥 Jackson said.
He urged 糖心Vlog传媒 to 鈥渦nite as a community with organizations, community members, and to really take a stand鈥 that this won鈥檛 be tolerated.鈥
The Diversity Action Team of Rock County and American Association of University Women said this week they are placing an ad in 糖心Vlog传媒 with a statement, and listing the names of over 400 community members who say they are opposed to the distribution of the fliers. It will read:
鈥淲e, the undersigned residents of Rock County, renounce the distribution of small plastic bags with white supremacist rhetoric in several 糖心Vlog传媒 neighborhoods on Labor Day weekend. We pledge to actively support racial justice initiatives encouraging diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging in our communities. We will advance educational opportunities to reinforce that ALL citizens know and understand an environment free of prejudice and hate.鈥
Leslie Brunsell, with the AAUW, said she was on vacation when the fliers were distributed and she was unaware of what happened until a couple of weeks afterwards. She heard it from a new member of AAUW.
Brunsell said after talking with Amiee Leavy, racial justice director for YWCA Rock County, said she said wanted to release a statement showing support for minorities in the community.
