Mayor Chuck Cahn, the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association and the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey all expressed concerns after flyers supporting KKK activities were distributed in Cherry Hill.
Last Saturday morning, some residents in Cherry Hill’s Old Orchard neighborhood found some unwanted reading lying on their front lawns after they woke up.
During the overnight hours, fliers the Cherry Hill Police Department described as “racist literature” were dropped on several lawns in Old Orchard. The fliers include the logo and website for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
“It’s disgusting that this happened,” Mayor Chuck Cahn said in response to the incident. “It’s very personal when it happens in Cherry Hill and we’ll deal with it quickly and swiftly.”
Cherry Hill Police say printed messages were left inside of plastic bags on the lawns of residents during the overnight hours of Friday, Oct. 12, into Saturday, Oct. 13. Police provided photos of the two fliers. Both featured racial slurs and portrayed African-Americans and Jews in a negative light.
A phone number provided on the fliers directed callers to a national hotline. A phone call to the hotline on Monday morning went unanswered, but there was a short recording with the N-word used multiple times. The recording also gave callers instructions on how to join the KKK.
The papers elicited a strong response from community leaders, including Cahn, who described the fliers as “disgusting,” and said he felt sorry for the residents who had the fliers sent to their homes.
“The first reaction was shock,” Cahn said. “I actually read the flier itself and couldn’t believe, whether it happens here or anywhere, that somebody would feel empowered and emboldened to disseminate (that information.)”
“Just to print that information and to put that out, it’s very horrible and very disheartening,” Cahn added. “It is very disappointing.”
Cahn said the police department was able to respond quickly to the fliers because numerous residents chose to call the police immediately upon viewing them on Saturday morning.
Prior to notifying the public, the police department reached out to the Cherry Hill African-American Civic Association, the NAACP and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey to inform them of the incident. Cherry Hill African American Civic Association president Emma Waring said the organization was immediately contacted the morning the fliers were found.
“(Police) Chief (William) Monaghan immediately contacted us before he hit the media about what happened and assured us that they would be doing an investigation,” Waring said.
CHAACA second vice president Danny Elmore was happy to hear the police department would investigate the incident, but added the incident made many community members uncomfortable and leaves some unanswered questions.
“We have to question whether we are coming back to revisit some of the times in the past where there were hate groups like the KKK that were part of society and were very visible,” Elmore said.
“Our concern, as African-Americans in the community, were to make sure our children and families are safe and secure,” Elmore added.
CHAACA has kept its members informed with information about the fliers and the assurances of the mayor and police chief so families can feel fully protected. Even so, Elmore and Waring both believe it’s crucial for the community to come together and have a dialogue about the incident, stating it doesn’t just affect the African-American and Jewish communities, but people of all backgrounds.
“Everyone has been affected lately, immigrants, the Hispanic community,” Elmore said about the social climate in the country. “Certainly we feel we have to be vigilant.”
The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey issued a statement in response to the incident, condemning the fliers and stating it supports a diverse community where people of all backgrounds live together in harmony.
“The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey condemns, in the strongest terms, the cowardly acts of hate committed over the weekend,” the statement read. “The Jewish Federation, through its agency, the Jewish Community Relations Council, is proud to be the convener of multi-cultural and interfaith activities, which serve to bolster warm relationships among all peoples of our area. We continue to be one of the leading organizations offering anti-bias and anti-bullying education. We are proud that the Jewish Federation fosters love and respect for peoples of all races and religions.”
Cahn said the township is keeping Cherry Hill Human Relations Advisory Committee informed about the case. The committee, consisting of community, civic and religious leaders from all across Cherry Hill, was formed last year.
This is not the first time the Loyal White Knights have distributed fliers in South Jersey. In February 2017, police in Moorestown and Cinnaminson investigated the distribution of fliers with phrases such as “love your race” and “stop homosexuality and race-mixing” lined in hearts. Those fliers were also believed to be from the Loyal White Knights and also included the same hotline.
Anyone with information on the fliers is asked to contact Cherry Hill Police at (856) 488–7828. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at tips@cherryhillpolice.com or http://cherryhill-nj.com/forms.aspx?FID=84.
