When Malik Upshur walked to his car in South Philly on Thursday, he was not expecting to find KKK recruitment propaganda on his windshield. However, that's exactly what he found according to ABC 6 Philadelphia.
Upshur said while he isn't afraid the KKK is coming to get him, he was shocked by the incident.
"It's just something I never thought I'd experience. My grandmother has been living here 94 years," he said.
The Philadelphia Tribune notes the propaganda came from a branch of the Ku Klux Klan called The Knights Party.
The paper Upshur received had a number of racially charged slogans on it, such as the dog whistle rallying cry, “Western Christian civilization is under attack,” and the claim “White people are a world wide minority and there are programs of genocide against white children.”
A P.O. box, email address and phone number were on the materials; when the Tribune called the number, Knights Party national director Thomas Robb picked up the phone.
Robb was vague about why Upshur's car might have been targeted, but said his organization has “a lot of members in Pennsylvania and some in Philadelphia." The director also claimed it is party policy not to hand out promotional materials to people who haven't specifically asked for it “because we recognize that could be twisted into some act of intimidation and so on."
Philly 2nd District City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who represents Upshur, said he didn't see how the incident could be anything but an act of intimidation.
"He is the only African American on the block and it just so happens this card winds up on his windshield. I call that more than a coincidence," Johnson said.
The councilman added the literature really upset him, and he plans to get to the bottom of it, saying, "This will not be tolerated."
For his part, Upshur said he was "not intimidated” and promised he's “here to stay."
Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.
Now, check these out:
Why Ava DuVernay Thinks Philly Is A Black Film Mecca, And How The BlackStar Film Festival Proves It
A Noose Was Found In A Tree In Philly, Officials Condemn The Act
