Police on Friday were continuing to seek leads after antisemitic flyers were scattered throughout Glenview and nearby suburbs in recent weeks, authorities said.
“Glenview police detectives are investigating and have been reaching out to neighboring communities,” the department said in a statement on Friday. “We encourage residents to make police reports, should they locate any similar items.”
Police said the flyers were stuffed in clear plastic bags and left on sidewalks, streets, driveways and lawns in the north suburb in late February and early March, said police. The flyers said, “Every aspect of the Biden administration is Jewish” and included a URL to a Nazi propaganda website, and the names and photos of various federal and state elected officials who are Jewish, said authorities. They said Glenview is the latest suburb to be targeted with the flyers but they have also been scattered in nearby Niles and Park Ridge in recent weeks.
During a recent Glenview Village Board meeting, board president, Mike Jenny, denounced the fliers as hate speech.
“Glenview is a community welcoming and tolerant of all,” said Jenny. “Hate directed at any group based on race, religion, color, sexual orientation, or ethnicity are an affront to those values, and they are unwelcomed here.”
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David Goldenberg, Midwest Regional Director, with The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said there have been more than 20 documented cases of propaganda being distributed across Illinois in 2022 alone.
“White supremacist propaganda is a low-cost, high impact tool being used to spread hateful messages and ideology while also eliciting anger and fear,” Goldenberg said in a statement. “We remain deeply concerned about the increase in white supremacist propaganda in the region over the last few years and call on communities to reject this hate categorically.”
Illinois state representative, John Carroll (D) 57th District, described the flyers as an attack.
“My community’s under attack,” he said. “My district’s under attack. These people are sending out just hateful things and targeting the Jewish community.”
The statement from Glenview police said village and police take the matter seriously, the police investigation is ongoing and the case has been assigned to a Glenview detective, who will be working to gather more information along with neighboring police departments.
“Glenview is a community committed to tolerance and inclusion of all,” said the statement. “Hate directed at any group based on race, religion, color, sexual orientation or ethnicity are an affront to those values, and they are unwelcome here.”
It also said if any resident receives or has already received one of these flyers, to report it to the Glenview police at (847) 729-5000.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.