Racist flyers strewn across North Haven neighborhood, police say

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NORTH HAVEN Disturbing racist literature was found in a local neighborhood, police say, days after the town of Rocky Hill reported a similar find.

Police said flyers on the ground in the area contained morally offensive sentiment. Although police did not describe the exact nature of the contents, they said detectives had been assigned to determine whether this incident rose to the level of a criminal case. Investigators spoke to residents of the neighborhood and asked for relevant surveillance footage to try to identify the people who distributed the leaflets, according to police.

North Haven has zero tolerance for hate speech against any person or group, whether based on race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, gender identity or any other affiliation, and we condemn this behavior, police said in a Facebook post. post at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, adding that the Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Investigation Unit has been notified.

However, police said the flyers could be protected by the First Amendment, which affirms the right to free speech, because they do not appear to call for or incite violence. If investigators determine a crime has been committed, police said, those responsible will be sought for arrest.

The North Haven Public Works Department has been contacted to remove the flyers, police say.

Similar events occurred in Rocky Hill just this week.

Incendiary leaflets were left in the Old Main Street and Goff Brook Lane area and reported to authorities on Tuesday, police said.

In a press release Wednesday, Rocky Hill Mayor Lisa Marotta, Councilman Christopher Duff and Tom Cosker, Chair of the City’s Commission on Inclusion and Innovation, said, “We are aware of the recent tapestry neighborhoods with subversive messages. We take these actions seriously and continue to work with appropriate law enforcement resources for a speedy resolution. …While we understand that these messages may be alarming, we recognize that they are not representative of our community.

The police are working with other law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels to investigate.

The Rocky Hill incident echoed that of mid-April.

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