KKK fliers found

Someone left pamphlets in support of the Ku Klux Klan on the lawns of a handful of Rockville Centre homes last week, prompting a police response.

According to Charles Gennario, commissioner of the Rockville Centre Police Department, an anonymous person dropped the pamphlets in the driveways of nine homes on Hempstead Avenue and Lakeview Avenue on Sept. 17.

Gennario said that, while police responded and are looking into the incident, there’s really nothing they can do. Distributing materials like this is free speech protected under the First Amendment.

“It might be littering, but that’s not criminal,” he said. “It’s more disturbing to people than anything.”

Even if the person who dropped the pamphlets was found, no charges would be pressed. In order to be considered a crime, the material would have to be targeted at a specific person or group. Gennario said that the distribution in Rockville Centre was totally random.

Gennario said that Rockville Centre was not the only town to have the fliers show up. Communities in Suffolk County have been seeing a rise in materials for the KKK.

The police are handling the case as an unusual incident. If residents find any more pamphlets, they can contact the Rockville Centre Police Department at 766-1500.