FERNDALE, Wash. — A white-supremacist group that calls itself Patriot Front (link to wikipedia) is identified on a handful of posters photographed on poles in downtown Ferndale and surrounding area. No one has been identified as responsible for posting them but they were first reported via social media by Ryan Reilly, a Ferndale resident and anti-racism activist.
Reilly reported he found and took down the posters Saturday afternoon, July 27th. He later took to social media with the photos.
Ferndale Police, speaking through City of Ferndale Communication Officer Riley Sweeney, said via email on August 6th, they “looked into [the report] based on citizen concerns, and could not verify that it was a sustained or ongoing effort by Patriot Front. They reported the incident to the FBI, who tracks white supremacist activity and will remain vigilant if more posters or other activities appear.”
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Click for more informationReilly is no stranger to the topic of white supremacist groups. His twitter account shows he has been engaging in a steady stream of discussions on the topic via twitter since at least 2014. During a phone conversation with My Ferndale News on August 10th, Reilly said discovering the posters has pushed him back into anti-racism activism.
Reilly said he tore down and threw away the 1st poster he found but kept the next 3. He said a 5th poster he found posed too much of a challenge to remove completely.
Reilly said he did not contact Ferndale Police about the posters but took his concerns to the Ferndale City Council during their regular meeting on August 5th. Speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting, he asked city officials and councilmembers what they were going to do to stop this group from coming into the area or to stamp them out if they were already here. “These people are no joke. They were at Charlottesville where Heather Heyer was murdered, they are know to crash leftist bookstores and disrupt meetings taking place in those arenas.”
According to news reports, Patriot Front flyers have appeared in various locations across the nation since the group formed out of Vanguard America after their “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017. The rally occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia and was marred by violence including when a car driven by a self-identified white supremacist plowed into a group of counter-protesters injuring 19 and killing one, Heather Heyer. According to Wikipedia, “As with Vanguard America, Patriot Front supports white supremacy, antisemitism, fascism, and a white supremacist version of American nationalism.”
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Some suspicion might be warranted as to who actually put these posters up…
In 2000 when there was a hate crime at Ferndale High School two city council women, myself and another woman canvassed all businesses downtown Ferndale asking if they would put Joining Hands Against Hate stickers in their windows. Thirty eight businesses did so, and Key Bank headquarters (where I bank) said put the stickers on ALL Whatcom bank entrance doors. We can and must all stand up against hate and discrimination. Hate has no home HERE! Debi Covert-Bowlds
All I see are posters against communism. I see nothing to do with race.