Racist fliers, lack of action frustrate woman in Sandy
The woman said the fliers were distributed on her white neighbors' driveway, but placed on her porch. She also received an extra flier that denigrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
She said it seemed that someone said, "We know there's a black in this house and we want to know you really get a message."
But her biggest concern: "Absolutely nothing has been done."
She went to the mayor's office, called the police, met with lawmakers and a representative of the Attorney General's Office.
Sgt. Bill O'Neal of the Sandy Police Department said extra patrols have been added to the area, but since there was no specific threat in the fliers, they are protected by the First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
"It's not a crime, what's happened so far," he said. "We take everyone's concerns seriously."
The woman said she felt somewhat brushed off after contacting both of her representatives, Sen. Al Mansell and House Speaker Greg Curtis, whose aide talked to her.
Curtis said he found the fliers "offensive," and said he would contact the woman to discuss her concerns.
"I don't believe the distribution of this flier, as repulsive as it is, constitutes a crime," he said.
Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, who is sponsoring hate crimes legislation, said even though it doesn't qualify as a hate crime, what happened in Sandy is an example of why such legislation is needed.
"It will not directly address that issue," he said. "It does send that message that hate is not a community value."
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com
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