Racist flyers found in Folsom neighborhood linked to white supremacist organization

Alex Muegge
·2 min read
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Racist flyers were found on the sidewalks and driveways of a Folsom neighborhood Friday morning, according to the Folsom Police Department, which said Saturday it is actively investigating the incident.

Residents of Callander Way, a street in the neighborhood southeast of Empire Oaks Elementary School, said that the flyers were found on specific driveways before 8 a.m. and subsequently police officers knocked on doors as part of their investigation.

The flyers that read, “It’s okay to be white,” and provided a link to a white supremacist organization were folded in half and placed in a plastic bag that contained beans.

Flyers that said, “It’s okay to be white,” and provided a link to a white supremacist organization were folded in half and placed in a plastic bag that contained pinto beans on the sidewalks and driveways of Callander Way on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. A resident said that the four flyers they saw were on driveways of houses occupied by persons of color.

The department said it is investigating the incident as a hate crime and canvassed the area looking for home and doorbell video.

Officer Matt Stone, a spokesman for the department, said the agency is “doing everything we can” to find out who left the messages behind and why. He called the incident unacceptable.

Stone said as part of the investigation, officers knocked on the doors of every house in which a flyer was seen.

The white supremacist organization’s website listed on the flyer said it is committed to the interests of the “white race” and determined to protect it from going into extinction. Included are advertisements for network meet and greets, the graphic for which includes a cutout of California with a swastika inside.

Stone said a suspect could face up to three years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine in connection with the crime.

Chris Shepard, a Folsom city spokesman, said police were investigating the incident in cooperation with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s hate crime unit.

“The city of Folsom condemns any discrimination based on a person’s race, as well as racially-motivated messaging and hate crimes that seek to divide us rather than unite us,” Shepard said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the department at 916-355-7230.

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