Dozens of racist flyers were found scattered across roads in a county just outside of Indianapolis this week.
“They're just throwing hate speech right out their window on their drive through our town,” Westfield resident Ashley Blanchette said. “I don't want them to feel like this is a place where that's acceptable."
Blanchette noticed the flyers on the side of the road in Hamilton County. She picked up as many as she could and threw them in the trash.
“I’m angry, and I think a clear message needs to be sent that you're not welcome here. We don't agree with you,” Blanchette said.
Police departments around the county told Scripps News Indianapolis that they are investigating the incident.
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They believe that the individual who distributed the racist flyers was not from the greater Indianapolis area and there are no threats to public safety.
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis released the following statement regarding the flyers that were found in Westfield:
As Mayor of Westfield, I unequivocally condemn this type of behavior. From the research we’ve done, it appears this group is originating out of Kentucky. They come into areas to try to stir hatred and these flyers do not reflect the values of our community.
As a resident, Blanchette agrees with the mayor.
“I don't want them to ever feel like they have a voice in our town, in our state, in our country," she said.
Blanchette is hopeful other community members will join her in ensuring hate flyers are never welcome in the community.
“If the only thing I can do is come down and pick up hate speech flyers and throw them in the trash, that's what I'll do," Blanchette said.
Police encourage all residents who see any flyers or odd behavior to contact emergency services immediately.
This story was originally published by Griffin Gonzalez at Scripps News Indianapolis.
