Lincoln County law enforcement agencies are investigating reports of Ku Klux Klan recruitment materials being left in driveways and on lawns in Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, Southport, and Wiscasset.
The Boothbay Harbor Police Department, the Damariscotta Police Department, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Waldoboro Police Department, and the Wiscasset Police Department are conducting a collaborative investigation, according to a press release from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael J. Murphy.
“While unsettling to many, this appears to be nothing more than an expression of free speech and does not seem directed at any one individual nor related to any other incident, locally or nationally,” Murphy said in the press release. “However, the manner in which the flyers were distributed on both public and private property is a violation of Maine’s litter laws and an indication the distributors may lack organization.”
In Boothbay Harbor, flyers were found along Lakeside Drive, Middle Road, and Route 27, according to a report by WCSH 6.
The flyers in Boothbay Harbor contain an anti-transgender message and encourage readers to join the KKK, according to photos of the flyers posted online. The KKK is a white supremacist organization.
The flyers were in plastic bags with a rock or rocks for weight.
The Boothbay Harbor Police Department addressed the matter in a Facebook post.
“We are aware of several disturbing ‘flyers’ found distributed along the roadside(s) throughout the Boothbay region,” the post reads. “This area is a hardworking, innovative, kind, caring, inclusive, welcoming, friendly place, and we host wonderful visitors from all over the world.
“If anyone would like to ‘bend a police (officer’s) ear,’ discuss concerns, ask questions, or just chat, officers are on duty 24/7 so that you may do so at any hour, on any day. Everyone should feel safe and welcome here, and we will do everything in our power to be sure you all feel that way.”
Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett addressed the flyers in a post on the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
“Lincoln County is a beautiful place that welcomes individuals from all walks of life and from all over the world every day,” Brackett said. “That is part of what makes the men and women of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office so proud to serve our citizens and visitors.
“We recognize the KKK and other terroristic extremist groups as exactly that. While we have seen no activity other than these few flyers, we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that you (and) your friends, neighbors, and visitors feel safe and welcome here.”
The agencies asks anyone who finds a KKK flyer or similar materials, or anyone with information about the distribution of the flyers, to call their local law enforcement agency at 882-7332.
