Aryan Nation litters South Hill yards

Adam Fleck was extremely offended when his girlfriend’s 9-year-old daughter walked into their Clara Street home with two racist fliers left on their front lawn.

“My family and this community doesn’t teach hate,” Fleck said about the literature distributed by the white separatist Aryan Nations throughout several South Hill neighborhoods on the evening of Aug. 6.

“It’s a loving community,” added Fleck, who drove around picking up the fliers stuffed in plastic sandwich baggies with a rock, warning “White Ladies Beware: Once You Go Black, You Might Not Go Back.”

Bonners Ferry Police continue to investigate and believe the incident could be connected to something similar in Coeur d’Alene, said deputy chief Joel Minor. Last week, three men received littering tickets for distributing Aryan Nations literature across yards and on porches in Coeur d’Alene.

“These guys were in a green pickup, which is not the same vehicle that was reported here,” Minor said.

Police received several 911 calls at about 7 p.m. Aug. 6 after two men in a dark gray Mercedes Benz were spotted tossing the literature in yards.

The fliers included a post office address for Aryan Nations National Headquarters in Athol. However, it’s not believed the group is based in Athol, Minor said. Police responded to complaints, but were unable to find the pair.

A member of the Boundary County Human Rights Task Force said the community is against any racist activity.

“The community has never supported the Aryan Nations when there has been a drop or activity,” task force member Grace Siler said. “They could easily be local, but it’s very likely that they just drove form one community to another.”

Siler also found it interesting that they did the drop in broad daylight.

“That shows they must be thinking they have a measure of support,” she said.

Hayden for 30 years an outpost of the white separatist group the Aryan Nations. Residents largely rejected the group, and a $6.3 million civil judgment against the Aryan Nations in 2000 over a violent attack forced the group's leader, Richard Butler, to liquidate the compound.