KKK Fliers Distributed In Eastern Shore Town: State Police

ST. MICHAELS, MD — Racist literature reportedly distributed by the Ku Klux Klan was left at homes in part of a Talbot County town over the weekend, according to Maryland State Police. A St. Michaels resident reported the morning of March 31 that fliers were distributed in driveways in the community; a trooper determined the material was predominately left in the area of Riverview Terrace and Cove Road.

The printed material noted that it was produced by the Ku Klux Klan and espoused racist views toward African Americans, Jewish people, American Indians, and others, authorities said. The material also urged people to join the KKK.

The flyers were found in clear plastic baggies weighed down with birdseed, which enabled the packages to be thrown into a driveway and remain there.

The trooper sent findings from his investigation to the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, the state’s fusion center, to notify local, state and federal authorities, including the FBI. Information was also provided to the Eastern Shore Information Center, which is a local multi-jurisdictional task force of law enforcement agencies in the region.

State Police logged the fliers as a hate/bias incident under the Maryland Public Safety Article Title 2-307, but said the investigation has not established evidence that a crime has been committed.

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• Hate Crimes In Maryland: FBI Report Shows Increase
• 21 Hate Groups Are Active In Maryland

Any hate/bias incident, including literature distributed as was the case in St. Michaels, should be reported to local law enforcement, officials said. In addition, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center tips line is always available at 1-800-492-TIPS(8477), where residents can report suspicious activity possibly related to terrorism or violent crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines a hate crime as an offense such as vandalism, arson or murder that is motivated in part by the perpetrator's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.

Reports of hate crimes rose in Maryland last year, where there were 48 hate crime incidents reported in 2017, compared with 37 hate crimes documented in 2016.