RICHLAND, Wash. – A neighborhood in Richland was targeted with anti-Semitic flyers scattered on driveways and hate speech graffiti on a wall on Davidson Avenue.
These flyers have statements saying that — diversity and inclusion lead to the exclusion of “white people.” On the back of the flyer, it claims the Jewish community is responsible for communism.
A homeowner in the area says the flyers left the neighborhood confused and rightfully upset.
“I like to think that it does not represent what the majority of the community thinks and feels,” said one resident. “You never really know how somebody feels about stuff like this; down inside, I like to think people are better than this.”
Further down Davidson Avenue, Andy Plymale, a neighborhood resident for 24 years, said he found other areas of hate speech in the form of vandalism targeting LGBTQ+ people. Plymale said he’s never seen anything like this before.
“A box of rainbow flags and hearts and stuff,” said Plymale. “I think someone was putting them on the houses in the neighborhood. There was a big pile of those inside a circle that had been spray painted, and then on top of the circle, there was a big N-O.”
Plymale says he called Richland Police and reported the incident, but that wasn’t the end. He said Wednesday night, while on his way home from work, he noticed someone had spray-painted graffiti on the retaining wall in front of his home with hate speech.
Plymale said he didn’t know about the anti-Semitic flyers from up the street. He said after seeing a flyer, it’s heartbreaking.
According to a U.S. Postal Service representative, if you get a similar delivery, report it to your local post office. Right now, no complaints have been filed.
According to RPD, everyone in the neighborhood of the 2100 block got a flyer, and it does not appear to target a specific neighbor.