LEESBURG, Va. — More than 100 hate-filled KKK fliers appeared on Virginia doorsteps in Loudoun County over the weekend. It's no coincidence it happened the day before we celebrate Martin Luther King Junior.
The crowd celebrating Dr. King was large in Leesburg, Va. Some came out because of what happened this weekend in western Loudoun County.
"Walked out in front of my home, right down the street," said Roger Vance, Mayor of Hillsboro.
He thought what he saw on his driveway was some trash. It was a baggy filled with hate messages and birdseed, to keep it from blowing away.
"It turned out to be a message from the KKK regarding Martin Luther King and White Supremacy," said Vance.
He looked up and down the street and saw there were several in other homes.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said they've collected 84 pieces of evidence.
It's not the first time these little baggies filled with hate were tossed around Loudoun County around Martin Luther King Day. This time they were left all around Route 9. Form Paonian Springs through Hillsburg to the W.Va. border.
"The first reaction was shock. I absolutely couldn't believe. When you read it, it's absolutely vile language," said Vice Mayor Amy Marasco.
To her, it's a wake up call.
"The amount of hatred and White Nationalist in this country is still as strong and we need to fight it and stand up against it anytime we see it," said Marasco.
"KKK was a terrorist organization 100 years ago, and it remains today and I think we need to take it as seriously as any terrorist organization," said Vance.
But is it a crime?
"The crime is littering, or defacing property. Speech is speech and we have to support free speech even if we don't like it. But that doesn't mean you're silent. They are essentially cowards."
Phillip Thompson with the Loudoun NAACP said they're working with elected officials to craft a hate crime ordinance that will make distributing fliers with hate messages a crime.
"Terrorism is terrorism be it domestic terrorism or international terrorism. And if this were Al Qaeda, we would not say, 'lets ignore them.' We would do something about it," said Phyllis Randall (D) Chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
John Whitbeck (R), who is challenging Randall for the Chair explained that, in Virginia, localities cannot make their own laws without the permission from the state.
"There's not a statute that specifically addresses it. People are going to cry first amendment on it, but any kind of hate speech is wrong and we ought to be doing something about it. At least, locally, maybe, we can get an ordinance or something passed," said Whitbeck.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is hoping someone has surveillance video of the people who distributed the KKK fliers.