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'Not cool at all' | Heights, Katy residents disturbed by racist flyers circulating in neighborhoods

Several people posted on Nextdoor about flyers left on their driveways and porches. They said the flyers show racial cartoons and neo-Nazi symbols.

KATY, Texas — About a dozen residents who live in The Heights showed up Wednesday for a town hall to talk about disturbing, racists flyers being left on their doorsteps.

They wanted to know what can be done to make this stop. 

"What they do is they put these flyers, make these flyers available for people to download and to distribute, so that's what's been happening," said Dena Marks with the Southwest Anti-Defamation League. "We don't know if the actual members did the distributing but someone with some sympathies for these groups."

Several people posted on Nextdoor about the flyers left on their driveways and porches. They were sealed in plastic bags and weighted down with rocks.

One woman described the flyers as “racist” with images and name-calling she says were too graphic to share. 

A man posted a photo appearing to show flyers with racial cartoons and neo-Nazi symbols.

Another man’s post shows a white dog and an address for a website filled with Nazi photos and anti-Semitic content.

“Not cool at all,” said a Cinco Ranch resident, who asked not to be identified. “I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 37 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before.”

On Nextdoor, neighbors also posted screenshots from doorbell cameras they say captured someone throwing the material from a white pickup around 2 a.m. Monday.

William White, Director of Operations with the Council on Islamic-American Relations Houston, says the group responsible typically strikes between midnight to 1:30 a.m.

“In San Antonio, they weighted them down with dog food,” said White. “In Austin, they did it with pebbles. Here they’re doing it with like actual rocks, hand-sized rocks.”

White said he’s aware of around 10 such incidents reported around Texas. He says the neighborhoods appear to be chosen at random.

“I think they’re trying to recruit for their organization,” said White. “I also believe that they are being very intentional about how they’re going about things. We can’t ignore the fact that this is an election year. I also can’t ignore the fact that they started doing this during Black History Month.”

The flyer incident in The Heights happened in Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin’s district.

“It’s uncomfortable,” said the council member. “It’s unpleasant.”

This is why she hosted Wednesday's town hall meeting at the Historic Heights Fire Station with the Houston Police Department and the Anti-Defamation League.

The council member hoped to share information on how to fight hate.

“The number one thing not to do… is to not go to social media,” said Kamin. “Do not give these groups more power, more attention. That is what they want. They fundraise off of this. They recruit off of this, and we’re not going to let that happen.”

One neighbor asked if the disturbing fliers could be charged with a crime. The answer — likely no. 

"As long as it does not elevate to a crime, you know, free speech is guaranteed, that's what makes our country so great, right? Even though I don't agree with what you say, it's still awful, but it's the fact that we need to know why they did it," said Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Tien.

Kamin says the best thing to do is report the incidents to law enforcement.

The Fort Bend County’s District Attorney’s Office told KHOU on Wednesday:

“We are evaluating whether this behavior qualifies as a hate crime, or a crime at all.  There is a balance between free speech and what constitutes a threat.  If there's a direct threat to the recipient of a flyer, it could be a Terroristic Threat.  There is also the possibility of Criminal Trespass for a perpetrator coming into your property regardless of the flyer's content.”

White says CAIR Houston has given the information it’s received on the flyer incidents to the FBI.

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