Middletown police say they have “concerns” about a flier that began appearing around town Monday from the “White Guard,” a group claiming it would protect white people from black criminals.
The flier, obtained by the Journal-News, references the May 13 arson in which a group of neighborhood juveniles allegedly set fire to the Roosevelt Avenue home of Jennifer Chitwood, a white mother of two children.
Thaddeus Shields, 18, of 1327 Woodlawn Ave., and a 17-year-old male were both arrested and charged for the crime a day later. But Shields had the charges against him dropped because an eyewitness lied about seeing him at the scene, and police said there was credible evidence he was not involved. However, the 17-year-old, who police said is bi-racial, remains in custody charged with unruly to wit aggravated arson.
While the flier’s author did not attach his or her name to the document, a phone number and email address for the White Guard, which described itself as “a sort of pro-white neighborhood watch,” was listed. The Journal-News called the number on the flier and also emailed the group. In response to a request seeking comment, the Journal-News received an email stating the group does not believe it is racist for white people to stand up to black on white crime.
Middletown police Lt. Scott Reeve said he has never heard of this group before, and that a detective has been assigned to investigate the issue.
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“We’re concerned someone is spreading these fliers that are racially motivated,” Reeve said.
Chitwood told the Journal-News she was unaware of the flier and said what happened to her was not about race.
“It was a bunch of teens not having good parents and not being respectful. It wasn’t about black or white,” she said.
Mike Soule, who owns a business along Crawford Street, showed the Journal-News surveillance video of a man walking along the street around 12:34 a.m. Soule said the video shows “a white man putting fliers on people’s cars.” He said he found one on his car’s windshield Monday morning.
“I threw it in the trash where it belongs,” said Soule, who is white. “I think they’re morons. There’s no point in it, absolutely no point. I don’t understand the purpose of it.”
Kimberly Carroll, who lives along Crawford Street, found one of the fliers placed under a windshield wiper on her car. Carroll, who is black, said she was “disgusted” by what she read.
“It’s disheartening for someone to put this out there targeting one group of people,” she said. “Any time you say black people are animals and savages, that’s very offensive and very racist.”
“It kind of scares me because in (the flier), it says we’re watching, and we’re here for you,” Carroll said. “I’m like, when I walk out the door, what do I expect?”
Dr. Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said her organization will be keeping an eye on the White Guard. She said she plans to work with Middletown detectives.
“In 2014, we don’t have groups prevalent like that,” Bronston said. “We have white, blacks, Hispanics and Asians, who are all linking together, standing together against prejudice.”