BY ROSE ADAMS
Hundreds of locals joined
hands in southern Brooklyn
on Sunday to protest recruitment
fl yers for a white nationalist
group that were found
plastered late last week.
Passersby fi rst spotted a
sign advertising the Patriot
Front — a growing, Texasbased
white nationalist group
— on 86th Street and Third
Avenue on Jan. 2. A photo of
the poster spread online and
drew outrage from locals, who
quickly ripped the fl yer down.
The signs continued to crop
across the neighborhood in
the following days. On Friday,
locals spotted a large banner
hanging over the Belt Parkway’s
80th Street pedestrian
overpass reading “protect
American labor” with a link
to the Patriot Front’s website,
the Brooklyn Eagle reported.
Locals found stickers for the
Patriot Front on 76th Street
and Ridge Road and scattered
throughout the park hugging
Shore Road on Saturday and
Sunday mornings, residents
reported.
The Patriot Front was
founded in 2017 and grew following
Great rates like ours are always in season.
6-Month
1.70%
CD or IRA CD APY1
$5,000 minimum deposit
12-Month
1.85%
CD or IRA CD APY1
$5,000 minimum deposit
To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account2 which provides you
with access to over 55,000 ATMs, ATM fee rebates, mobile banking, and mobile check deposit. Plus, you
can qualify for additional cash bonuses.3
Small enough to know you.
Large enough to help you.®
COURIER L 22 IFE, JANUARY 10-16, 2020
its participation in
the “Unite the Right” rally in
Charlottesville, Virginia in
August, 2017, according to the
Anti-Defamation League. The
group preaches white supremacism,
anti-Semitism, and often
uses slick graphics and
vague, populist messaging to
lure supporters.
On Sunday, more than 250
locals gathered on 86th Street
and Third Avenue at 2 pm to
condemn the signs and show
their support for Brooklyn’s
immigrant communities.
During the event, organized
by Fight Back Bay Ridge and
a host of other community
groups, residents of all ages
stretched down Third Avenue
between 85th and 87th streets
chanting slogans that rejected
the hate group and promoted a
sense of community. Many attendees
held signs that read,
“Immigrants welcome and
valued here” and “We will protect
each other.”
Protesters said that the
group’s fl yers constitute not
only an act of hate speech, but
a violent threat.
“It’s not a free speech issue,
it’s a not-so-subtle call to
arms,” said Noah Weston, a
local activist who helped organize
the rally. “There is
violence on the end of what
they’re saying.”
Other attendees noted that
the posters aren’t the fi rst
time white nationalists have
used Brooklyn as a recruiting
ground, but added that rallies
and protest have deterred the
groups in the past.
“When I was a kid growing
up in this neighborhood, the
KKK distributed some posters
in the ’80s, and I think they
were met with a similar pushback,”
said Bay Ridgite Kristen
Pettit. “They did not gain a foothold
in this neighborhood. We
came out loud and strong and
showed this group that they are
not welcome in this area.”
The Patriot Front’s signs
come weeks after a string of
anti-Semitic attacks plagued
Brooklyn, injuring three Jewish
adults and two children
over the course of Hanukkah.
About 25,000 people marched
over the Brooklyn Bridge on
Sunday in response to the attacks,
chanting, “No hate, no
fear.”
SUPREMACIST SIGNS: One sticker
was found on 76th Street and Ridge
Boulevard on Sunday morning.
Photo by Caroline McKinnon
SOLIDARITY: More than 250 protesters gathered in southern Brooklyn
on Jan. 5 after signs for a white nationalist group were found across the
neighborhood. Photo by Jordan Rathkopf
Rally against hatred
For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch,
call 800.581.2889 (855.540.2274 TTY/TDD) or visit www.FlushingBank.com.
1) New money only. APY effective December 2, 2019. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of
$5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to
change without notice. 2) Certain fees, minimum balance requirements, and restrictions may apply. Fees may reduce earnings on these accounts. A checking account is not required for
IRA accounts. 3) The Customer Value Program bonus is limited to one (1) account credit per new Complete Checking customer. New money only. Existing checking account customers
are not eligible. A new checking account is defined as any new checking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank checking
account(s). An existing checking customer is defined as anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money
not currently on deposit with Flushing Bank. The Customer Value Program bonus will be based on the three-month average account balance of the first three (3) calendar months after
account opening. The Customer Value Program bonus will be posted to the account on or about the end of the subsequent month following the account’s three (3) month anniversary. A
1099 will be issued in the amount of the account bonus. The new Complete Checking account must remain open, active, and in good standing for six months. The bonus will be forfeited
if the account is closed prior to six months. Other fees and restrictions may apply. The minimum three-month average balance to qualify for the Customer Value Program is $1,000. A
minimum deposit of $25 is required to open the Complete Checking account. The offer is subject to change or termination without prior notice at any time. Speak with a
branch representative for details.
Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
/www.FlushingBank.com
/www.FlushingBank.com