Central Ohio Leaders and School Officials Condemn Overnight Distribution of Klan Flyers
Municipal officials, educators, and civil rights groups urge residents to document and report white supremacist materials left in Clintonville and Worthington.
Civic leaders, school administrators, and civil rights advocates across central Ohio united Tuesday in condemning the overnight distribution of Ku Klux Klan propaganda throughout residential neighborhoods in Clintonville and Worthington and near several local schools.
Residents and commuters discovered flyers and business cards littered along roadways and left on doorsteps early on Sept. 29. Simon Buehrer discovered the materials while biking along East Dominion Boulevard near World Language Middle School in Clintonville as he headed to work. The materials claimed affiliation with "The Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," an Ohio-based organization identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an active extremist group. Some flyers framed the group as a "neighborhood watch" and expressed opposition to automated license plate readers, while accompanying cards carried recruitment slogans. Reporting confirmed that identical flyers were distributed across both Clintonville and Worthington.
Civic and School Leaders Denounce Intimidation
Columbus City Schools confirmed that materials were recovered near World Language Middle School and Indian Springs Elementary School, stating that hate has no place in the district or the communities it serves. District officials affirmed that schools must remain welcoming environments where students, staff, and families are valued and safe.
In neighboring Worthington, families, teachers, and principals found propaganda outside school buildings and on residential porches. Worthington City Schools Superintendent Trent Bowers and the Worthington Board of Education announced that they forwarded the materials to the Worthington Division of Police and the Southern Poverty Law Center. In a joint statement, district leaders stated that the attempt to intimidate will not be minimized or overlooked.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described the distribution as a hateful intrusion that contradicts city values, calling the act despicable and asking anyone who witnessed the activity to contact local law enforcement. Clintonville Area Commission Chair Brittany Boulton also condemned the flyers, emphasizing that racist behavior is unacceptable in the neighborhood and noting that the proximity to schools was particularly disturbing.
Pattern of Extremist Flyer Drops Across Central Ohio
Community advocates noted that the incident fits into a documented pattern of opportunistic propaganda distributions intended to provoke fear without public exposure. The Columbus Urban League warned that such campaigns are designed to generate anxiety and solicit recruits for extremist organizations.
While the distribution alarmed residents, former Clintonville Area Commissioner Will Klatt noted that white supremacist flyer distribution has been an ongoing issue in the neighborhood, estimating multiple similar occurrences over the past few years. Similar propaganda drops were reported in Franklinton in 2023 and Sharon Township in 2022. Metropolitan Columbus has also witnessed other extremist activities, including disruptions of local civic meetings and public demonstrations by masked hate groups.
Guidance for Documenting and Reporting Hate Materials
Civil rights organizations urged residents not to confront extremists directly or amplify their messaging, but rather to document and report any materials to relevant authorities and monitoring groups.
The NAACP Columbus branch condemned the flyers as cowardly, pointing out that those responsible hide behind anonymity. The civil rights branch advised anyone who finds the materials to photograph them, avoid engagement, and report the findings by emailing info@naacp614.org.
Residents who encounter hate propaganda or observe suspicious distribution activity are encouraged to preserve photographic evidence, note exact locations, and notify the Columbus Division of Police or the Worthington Division of Police. In addition, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks the group as one of the country's most active Klan organizations, accepts community incident reports to support regional monitoring efforts.
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Civic leaders, school administrators, and civil rights advocates across central Ohio united Tuesday in condemning the overnight distribution of Ku Klux Klan propaganda throughout residential neighborhoods in Clintonville and Worthington and near several local schools.
Residents and commuters discovered flyers and business cards littered along roadways and left on doorsteps early on Sept. 29. Simon Buehrer discovered the materials while biking along East Dominion Boulevard near World Language Middle School in Clintonville as he headed to work. The materials claimed affiliation with "The Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," an Ohio-based organization identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an active extremist group. Some flyers framed the group as a "neighborhood watch" and expressed opposition to automated license plate readers, while accompanying cards carried recruitment slogans. Reporting confirmed that identical flyers were distributed across both Clintonville and Worthington.
Civic and School Leaders Denounce Intimidation
Columbus City Schools confirmed that materials were recovered near World Language Middle School and Indian Springs Elementary School, stating that hate has no place in the district or the communities it serves. District officials affirmed that schools must remain welcoming environments where students, staff, and families are valued and safe.
In neighboring Worthington, families, teachers, and principals found propaganda outside school buildings and on residential porches. Worthington City Schools Superintendent Trent Bowers and the Worthington Board of Education announced that they forwarded the materials to the Worthington Division of Police and the Southern Poverty Law Center. In a joint statement, district leaders stated that the attempt to intimidate will not be minimized or overlooked.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described the distribution as a hateful intrusion that contradicts city values, calling the act despicable and asking anyone who witnessed the activity to contact local law enforcement. Clintonville Area Commission Chair Brittany Boulton also condemned the flyers, emphasizing that racist behavior is unacceptable in the neighborhood and noting that the proximity to schools was particularly disturbing.
Pattern of Extremist Flyer Drops Across Central Ohio
Community advocates noted that the incident fits into a documented pattern of opportunistic propaganda distributions intended to provoke fear without public exposure. The Columbus Urban League warned that such campaigns are designed to generate anxiety and solicit recruits for extremist organizations.
While the distribution alarmed residents, former Clintonville Area Commissioner Will Klatt noted that white supremacist flyer distribution has been an ongoing issue in the neighborhood, estimating multiple similar occurrences over the past few years. Similar propaganda drops were reported in Franklinton in 2023 and Sharon Township in 2022. Metropolitan Columbus has also witnessed other extremist activities, including disruptions of local civic meetings and public demonstrations by masked hate groups.
Guidance for Documenting and Reporting Hate Materials
Civil rights organizations urged residents not to confront extremists directly or amplify their messaging, but rather to document and report any materials to relevant authorities and monitoring groups.
The NAACP Columbus branch condemned the flyers as cowardly, pointing out that those responsible hide behind anonymity. The civil rights branch advised anyone who finds the materials to photograph them, avoid engagement, and report the findings by emailing info@naacp614.org.
Residents who encounter hate propaganda or observe suspicious distribution activity are encouraged to preserve photographic evidence, note exact locations, and notify the Columbus Division of Police or the Worthington Division of Police. In addition, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks the group as one of the country's most active Klan organizations, accepts community incident reports to support regional monitoring efforts.
How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/heinous-kkk-flyers-hate-speech-204627977.html
Supporting evidence (8)
Simon Buehrer discovered the materials while biking along East Dominion Boulevard near World Language Middle School in Clintonville as he headed to work.
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Pedaling down East Dominion Boulevard near World Language Middle School, he came upon a strange scattering of white papers littering the road.
Reporting confirmed that identical flyers were distributed across both Clintonville and Worthington.
Read supporting passage
The Dispatch has confirmed that the flyers found in Worthington and Clintonville were identical.
Columbus City Schools confirmed that materials were recovered near World Language Middle School and Indian Springs Elementary School, stating that hate has no place in the district or the communities it serves.
Read supporting passage
Columbus City Schools confirmed the presence of the "hate-filled" flyers near both World Language Middle School and Indian Springs Elementary School, stating that "hate has no place in Columbus City Schools or in the communities [it] serve[s]."
In a joint statement, district leaders stated that the attempt to intimidate will not be minimized or overlooked.
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"We have no reason to believe the cowards who left these flyers plan to do any more than litter, but their attempt to intimidate will not be minimized or overlooked by this District," the Worthington schools post states
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described the distribution as a hateful intrusion that contradicts city values, calling the act despicable and asking anyone who witnessed the activity to contact local law enforcement.
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Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a prepared release that the "hateful intrusion" of flyers in "goes against everything that the City of Columbus stands for."
Clintonville Area Commission Chair Brittany Boulton also condemned the flyers, emphasizing that racist behavior is unacceptable in the neighborhood and noting that the proximity to schools was particularly disturbing.
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"The commission does not condone any racist behavior like that, and everyone should feel safe in Clintonville," Boulton said. "It's particularly heinous this happened near a school."
While the distribution alarmed residents, former Clintonville Area Commissioner Will Klatt noted that white supremacist flyer distribution has been an ongoing issue in the neighborhood, estimating multiple similar occurrences over the past few years.
Read supporting passage
resident and former area commissioner Will Klatt said acts of white supremacism have been "a long, ongoing problem" in the neighborhood.
Similar propaganda drops were reported in Franklinton in 2023 and Sharon Township in 2022.
Read supporting passage
In 2023, Franklinton residents woke up to flyers strewn throughout the neighborhood. In 2022, they arrived in Sharon Township near Worthington.
Supporting evidence (4)
The materials claimed affiliation with "The Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," an Ohio-based organization identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an active extremist group.
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The materials claim to be from “The Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan,” an Ohio-based group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a well-known extremist group
The Columbus Urban League warned that such campaigns are designed to generate anxiety and solicit recruits for extremist organizations.
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The Columbus Urban League sent a statement calling the flyers an attempt to intimidate residents and recruit supporters: "These flyers, like every offensive taken by extremist hate groups, are meant to stir up fear and convince people to join their cause."
The civil rights branch advised anyone who finds the materials to photograph them, avoid engagement, and report the findings by emailing info@naacp614.org.
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If you find these flyers, photograph them, do not engage, and report them to info@naacp614.org.
In addition, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks the group as one of the country's most active Klan organizations, accepts community incident reports to support regional monitoring efforts.
Read supporting passage
The Southern Poverty Law Center said this particular KKK group is one of the most active in the country.