Racist MLK Weekend Tradition: KKK Flyers Distributed To Homes In Loudoun

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has received reports from residents across the western part of the county of Ku Klux Klan recruitment flyers showing up on their property leading up to the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

For several years in a row, residents of Loudoun County have complained about these types of KKK flyers showing up outside their homes around the holiday honoring the life and work of the civil rights activist.

The LCSO reported Friday that it had received multiple complaints from residents in Leesburg, Purcellville and Round Hill, who found flyers that referenced KKK propaganda in plastic bags filled with birdseed outside their homes.

The reports were filed by residents on Thursday and Friday. The KKK propaganda flyers were found on Snickersville Turnpike, Airmont Road, St. Louis Road and Jeb Stuart Road, according to the sheriff's office.

The LCSO said it is continuing to receive calls about the KKK flyers showing up.

Over the past year, the distribution of KKK propaganda has not been limited to western Loudoun County. Residents in Ashburn and Leesburg found KKK propaganda flyers in their driveways last June, according to a report from the LCSO.

The sheriff's office did not disclose the exact contents of the flyers, but they were attributed to "individuals claiming to be Loyal White Knights Ku Klux Klan." Officials said the materials referenced topics discussed at recent Loudoun County School Board meetings.

Loudoun County also is receiving backlash from its recent decision to change the names of roads in the county. Route 7 is currently named Harry Flood Byrd Highway in Loudoun County, and Route 50 is called John Mosby Highway. Harry F. Byrd Highway will become Leesburg Pike, while John Mosby Highway will be renamed Little River Turnpike.

Byrd, a former Democratic governor of Virginia, was a leader of a movement in opposition to the integration of public schools that became known as Massive Resistance. Route 50 was named for John Mosby, a colonel in the Confederate army.

RELATED:

• KKK Propaganda Flyers Distributed In Leesburg, Ashburn
• KKK Recruitment Fliers Found Again In Loudoun On MLK Weekend