COLUMBIA, Tenn. — One man and a teenager have been arrested after allegedly posting KKK flyers around Columbia, according to the Columbia Police Department. Police said they arrested a 38-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, and both were charged with civil rights intimidation.
“The Columbia Police Department has been diligently investigating the senseless acts which occurred in our city on July 9th involving the posting of bias rhetoric fliers. We have been working with members of our community and the Maury County Sheriff’s Department, and during the press conference Wednesday evening announced that we had strong leads in this case and anticipated an arrest in the near future,” Columbia Police said on social media.
The Columbia Police Department had not released any names or mugshots of the people who were arrested as of Thursday evening.
“The Columbia Police Department will continue to work diligently on this incident to determine if these individuals acted alone or if more offenders are involved," CPD also said on social media. "We will also continue to work closely with our community and make efforts to deter senseless acts such as this from occurring in Columbia. We would like to thank our community for their assistance in this case that led to the arrest of these individuals.”
On Monday, the people of Columbia were shocked when they woke up and found KKK flyers posted on several businesses and churches. Many of the flyers were posted on church signs, all of which were historically Black churches.
“It says, 'Be warned,' and then it has an email address to the Ku Klux Klan saying, ‘Join the fight,’” said Pastor Kenny Anderson of Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.
Flyers were found on the marquees of Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Bethel Chapel AME Church and Faith United Missionary Church. Anderson said the flyers made him and dozens of other church members worried about their safety. However, he said few people were surprised the flyers would be posted.
Additional information about the arrests was not immediately available. This story will be updated when more information is available.
The KKK is a known hate group with a history of violence against Black communities. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes it as "the oldest and most infamous of American hate groups." They said in 2022, there were 22 incidents involving flyers and the KKK, as well as small and remote rallies.
According to the SPLC, most incidents involving the KKK happened in Tennessee.
The group was formed following the Civil War and used violence to prevent Black Americans from voting, holding political office and participating in many aspects of society. More than 4,400 racial terror lynchings were documented between 1877 and 1950, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.