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‘White Lives Matter’ flyers distributed around village of Greendale

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‘White Lives Matter’ flyers distributed around village of Greendale

Oct 04, 2022 | 6:32 am ET
By Isiah Holmes
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‘White Lives Matter’ flyers distributed around village of Greendale
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An image of the material distributed in Greendale which circulated online. (Screenshot | Facebook)

Reports of “White Lives Matter” flyers being distributed in the village of Greendale over the weekend have surfaced online. Photos posted to  a private Facebook group focused on the community show a small piece of paper inside a sandwich bag reading “Watch Europa,” “White Lives Matter,” and “it’s time to take a stand.”

The assistant to the chief of police in village of Greendale Police Department, Sue Zuber, told Wisconsin Examiner that the department “received a call from a homeowner reporting a sandwich baggie with rice and literature left at the end of their driveway.” Zuber added, “We are unaware of this occurring before this one incident.”

Images of the baggie were shared in the private Facebook group Village of Greendale It Takes A Village Uncensored. Screenshots show that the post drew at least 40 comments. “Get ready for some drama Greendale,” the post stated, “woke up to this in my driveway and saw them scattered throughout the neighborhood.” Greendale is 85.1% white, 7.3% Asian, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.4% Black. The village is situated south of the city of West Allis in the suburbs of Milwaukee.

Other Wisconsin communities have seen similar racist messages  over the last couple of years. In West Allis, a man who was harassing Black neighbors and leaving behind racist threatening notes warning them to leave the area was federally charged in April. The city of Kenosha also cited a man who was scattering anti-Semitic flyers around neighborhoods earlier this year. The city of Waukesha has seen more organized activity spearheaded by white supremacist and neo-facist groups since last November. One group, The Base, produced a recruitment video showing members posting stickers at the Waukesha Democratic Party Office. During 2020, the city of Wauwatosa also experienced a stint of racist letters singling out Black residents as an enemy to be repelled.