Brighton Police have identified the person who was dropping fliers promoting a white supremacist web site around neighborhoods in Pittsford and Brighton, but they’re not releasing or confirming his identity, because he hasn’t been charged with any crime.
Chief Mark Henderson says a 32-year-old man was leaving the strips of paper in people’s driveways, prompting concern in both towns and a public backlash rejecting the racist message. Chief Henderson says the individual told them he was doing it for political purposes, which is not a crime.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says it’s certain this person is not the one who left white supremacist fliers at St. John Fisher College.
Henderson says both the U.S. and New York Constitutions are very explicit about the protection of free speech. He says the only questionable part of the man’s conduct is that he was leaving his fliers in the dead of night. Henderson says he talked twice with the man and didn’t get a good answer to that question. He also invited him to the news conference, but the man evidently declined. He says police were justified in investigating because the matter was raising concerns in both towns.
Although the man is within his first amendment rights to distribute his message, both the supervisors of Brighton and Pittsford condemned his message. They called it hateful speech that should be rejected.
The organizer of the group “Pittsforward” says she’s disappointed that no arrest will be made in the racist fliers case.
Kendra Evans says politics shouldn’t be about hate, but about governing, and she says these incidents affected both her family and her town.
Pittsforward came together to demonstrate against the racist fliers a promote diversity.