Flyers with antisemitic, racist messages distributed in Cincinnati neighborhoods

CINCINNATI — People are finding flyers with antisemitic and racist messages in neighborhoods across Cincinnati.

Hyde Park resident Alexandra Carpenter said she was walking her dog like she does every day when she came across a pamphlet on the ground. Carpenter said the pamphlet was in a plastic bag, weighed down by rice.

"As I was walking, I noticed like debris on the ground, and I kind of saw like the corner of it,” Carpenter said. "I was like, that was kind of weird. And then like I kept walking and I saw another one. So, I went back and picked up the first one."

She said what was inside was disturbing. The first one said, "Every single aspect of Disney child grooming is Jewish."

Then, Carpenter found another that she said "was also a very disturbing antisemitic pamphlet."

That one accused Jewish people of performing sexual acts on children.

Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident.

"I wish I could say that I'm surprised by this," said Jeremy Spiegel, assistant director of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council. "This is something since I started this role in August, we've been dealing with this about once a week or so."

Rick Huffaker found another flyer in Mt. Healthy.

He describes what was written on the flyer he found in front of his home

"Thank you n***** for killing yourself, we don't have to anymore,” Huffaker said. "And it had the swastikas and stuff like that on it."

There have been other reports of flyers across the country and here in the Tri-State.

In March, WCPO spoke with business owners after antisemitic flyers were distributed to businesses in Northside.

Ari Ballaban, director of Cincinnati's Jewish Community Relations Council, said it’s more than just words on a flyer, rather it points to a larger issue.

"On the one hand, the rhetoric is disgusting, and it makes people in our community feel unwelcome and unsafe," said Ari Ballaban. "But then they actually experience harassment subsequent to these things going out, it causes a real detrimental impact on our community."

Spiegel said one step to stopping the hate starts by raising awareness.

"Tell the police," Spiegel said. "We work with the local police to keep track of these situations and to really be aware of how much antisemitism and hate there is in the Cincinnati area."

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is working on a campaign called “Ally against Anti-Semitism” to show that the Cincinnati community is more than just these flyers.