Ku Klux Klan Flyers Distributed Across Lower Bucks County

Residents in several Levittown-area neighborhoods awoke to find flyers for the Ku Klux Klan recently.

The Ku Klux Klan left flyers behind in Bristol Township’s Levittown and Croydon sections along with portions of Middletown over the last weekend, according to numerous residents, The Peace Center and a delivery person who spotted several of the leaflets. None of the residents LevittownNow.com spoke with wished to provide their names for publication due worries over the involvement of the hate group.

“I was honestly – I mean honestly – disgusted this even happens today in 2017. People put them out, and I’m glad I didn’t run into them putting these out,” a mother of two from Bristol Township said on Monday.

The flyers said “love your own race” and “stop homosexuality and race mixing.” Neighbors said they were accompanied by a bag of corn likely to weigh down the paper.

LevittownNow.com will not publish the phone number and website listed on the Ku Klux Klan flyers.

“Not illegal, but it’s wrong. There’s white people and black people who are mad the township let this happen,” another Bristol Township resident said in an email.

In a phone interview, a Croydon resident who did not receive the flyers but knows friends who did said they found it “sickening.” They said their family has Hispanic roots and the flier was racist and insulting to everyone.

“I’m really concerned about the phone number and that these are a recruiting tool,” said Barbara Simmons, executive director of the Langhorne-based Peace Center.

Chris Barker, who identified himself as the “grand wizard” (the leader) of the North Carolina-based Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, explained in a phone interview that the group has active members in the Philadelphia area and they distributed the flyers. He added that group has numerous members in the Philadelphia area, including near Levittown, but did not want to comment on a specific number.

Simmons said hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan are now more emboldened. She cited other race-themed flyers that have been passed out in Bensalem, Northampton, Doylestown and other Bucks County communities.

Earlier this year, smaller distributions of racist hate flyers were distributed in parts of Bristol Borough and Croydon. At the time, LevittownNow.com chose not to report on the incidents due to their limited distribution.

The Ku Klux Klan, especially the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, have seen significant growth in recent years. The new members have come from across the nation, the group’s leader said.

“We’ve grown since Obama took office and we’ve seen a bigger increase since Trump,” Barker said.

“Whites feel that they’re even prouder (of their race) since Trump took office. He’s giving people enthusiasm that they’re not racist,” Barker explained.

In an increasingly divided political climate, hate groups have grown in the past number of years, according to various media reports.

Barker said the flyers distributed in the Levittown area were likely passed out to members during the hate groups recent national gathering.

“It really saves us a lot on shipping,” Barker said.

Simmons said The Peace Center has been tracking incidents and having conversations with community stakeholders, including Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office.

The recent peppering of flyers will be discussed at The Peace Center’s upcoming Dialogue on Race, which will be held Sunday afternoon in Yardley.

Earlier this year, Simmons said that communities should come together to stand up to hate and racism and make our community inclusive.

Barker said no matter the push back, his group is growing and plans to hold a rally not far from Philadelphia.

In response to the flyers, residents in one Middletown neighborhood said they plan to put up “No Place For Hate” signs.