White nationalist signs placed near Black-owned businesses

By
Eunki Seonwoo
-
45

Update, September 5

The Oak Bluffs Police Department is searching for whoever put up signs supporting white nationalists.

The two signs shown on the department’s online post — one reading “strong families strong nations” and the other reading “America first” — have links to the white supremacist group Patriot Front. On the Patriot Front’s website, the group packages its messaging with patriotic and revolutionary themes — much of it containing seditious language — but it also makes clear that the organization only considers those with European ancestry as Americans.

Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle said three signs were noticed in the town on Sunday and have since been taken down.

These signs were located where Dukes County Avenue and Siloam Avenue meet and close to Biscuits and Eleven Circuit Avenue Restaurant and Bar — both of which are Black-owned businesses. On Tuesday, Searle told The Times a fourth sign was found at Circuit Avenue Extension.

The police are investigating who was responsible for putting up the signs.

“There is an active and thorough investigation,” Searle said, adding that the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office will be consulted to determine if any laws have been violated.

Those with information can contact the Oak Bluffs Police Department at 508-693-0750 or through Facebook Messenger.

Oak Bluffs is also a town steeped in African American history and was once listed in the Green Book, which listed vacation locations that were relatively safe to African Americans from 1936 to 1967.

Islander Arthur Hardy-Doubleday, who reported the Patriot Front sign on a telephone pole in front of Eleven Circuit Avenue Restaurant and Bar, said he was dissatisfied with the police’s response. He also sent a letter to Searle, Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois, and Oak Bluffs Select Board chair Emma Green-Beach about the response.

Hardy-Doubleday said he immediately reported the sign to the Oak Bluffs Police Department after seeing it. However, he was told by Oak Bluffs Police Sgt. Christopher Wiggin that the sign would need to be taken down on Tuesday because it was too high up and a ladder would be needed from another department. Hardy-Doubleday alleges that he was told he could take the sign down himself if he wanted to. Hardy-Doubleday tried to reach out to friends for help until Todd Rebello, who happened to be walking by, knocked down the sign after getting a ladder.

Hardy-Doubleday said he was contacted by Galibois on Facebook Messenger and received a call from Green-Beach regarding the sign after he posted it on Facebook; the District Attorney stated that Massachusetts State Police will get involved.

Hardy-Doubleday later retrieved the sign, which he had thrown away, and brought it to the Oak Bluffs Police Department. He spoke with a summer officer and submitted a voluntary witness statement in writing and handed over the sign.

“There was no one with a badge who was talking with me,” he said.

Hardy-Doubleday said the response was unacceptable and taking down a hate group’s sign cannot wait. He further alleges that Oak Bluffs Police prioritized policing Black people more than tackling issues like the signs.

“I want the culture of that department to change,” Hardy-Doubleday said, later adding, “This isn’t rocket science. This is priority.”

Searle said on Tuesday that Wiggin had taken down the signs that he could and had contacted the Oak Bluffs Highway Department, but nobody was available during Labor Day weekend.

Additionally, Searle said state police were not part of the investigation, although they have been advised about the situation and a specialty unit could be involved if needed.

Searle declined to comment on Hardy-Doubleday’s letter. However, Searle said Oak Bluffs Police will continue to keep the town safe as members of its community.

Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Danielle Whitney declined to comment since an investigation is underway. An online post from the District Attorney states that all of the police chiefs on the Cape and Islands and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit have been notified about the signs in Oak Bluffs.

“If you observe any of these signs on public property or private property without the owner’s permission then please notify your local police department,” the post reads.

Green-Beach said the signs were gone by the time she went downtown on Sunday. She underscored during a phone interview on Tuesday that the signs’ messaging were not something rooted in Oak Bluffs.

“Oak Bluffs is a place where everyone is welcome,” Green-Beach said. “We won’t tolerate hate in our town, in our community.”

Updated with additional information from Jonathan Searle, Arthur Hardy-Doubleday, Emma Green-Beach, and Danielle Whitney.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

45 COMMENTS

  1. Pretty scary stuff on their website.
    The tip off that they know they are jackasses is
    that they all cover their faces in the pictures.
    Or perhaps they are just being safe because they
    are afraid of COVID.
    But the “creator” ,as he calls himself, has a cute
    little avatar of a cartoonish angry jack ass
    with a gun sitting on an equally angry jack ass.
    I guess that sums it up pretty well.
    But let me point out, as disgusting as this pond scum is
    they have the right to be racist. It’s America after all.
    I don’t know what the police can do about them putting
    signs up. Defacing a telephone pole ? Littering?
    I don’t think so, as there are plenty of signs up about
    other topics.

    So what I would like is for someone to tell me this ;
    Why do the descendants of a bunch of ignorant white
    genocidal “Christians” who murdered the inhabitants
    of an entire continent think they have the right to be
    “Americans” and no one else does ?

    So if you happen to be one of these disgusting maggots,
    and have such strong feelings about your cause how
    about “manning up” and have an open debate ? Take your
    chin diaper off and come out of the “water closet” . Be proud.

    LGBTQ people have come out of their “closet” after all.
    People of color and indigenous peoples have stood up
    for their rights. They are proud of it . And I am proud of them.

    On the other hand, these racist pigs hide like the
    cockroaches they are when the light of truth is shone upon
    them.
    By the way, it’s pretty well agreed upon that Jesus was either
    black or brown. He certainly wasn’t white. Think about that
    the next time you are being all holy in your Christian church
    with your Christian family.

  2. I echo Keller…on social media I saw comments from people thinking the sign posters rights were being infringed upon. I looked them up…it’s a hate organization that spews lies and vitriol. Hate has no home here, full stop.

  4. Your reporter states that the organization only considers those with European ancestry to be Americans. I would say that only those with white Christian European ancestry are considered American by them. The people in this organization hate Jews most of all. I know because I am Jewish. They are very scary and dangerous and need to be taken seriously. Thank you OBPD for your ongoing investigation.

  5. If you are trying to find the persons responsible, a good start would be to go through the list of 2,477 “very fine” Dukes County voters for You-Know-Who in 2016 and the 2,631 in the 2020 election.
    Those voters all supported this sort society here in Dukes County.

      • That’s a rather disingenuous statement. Almost comical, in fact.
        Do you honestly think that any member of an extremist right wing group would have voted for a Democrat in either election?
        They are the ones who spread hate and prejudice.

      • Mike– I think James is pretty close to the truth here.
        Do you really think that these people voted for Biden ?
        Or the green party candidate ?
        Come on man– get a grip on the reality of the situation.
        James and I are not saying that everyone who voted for
        trump is a racist, but we know that whoever put this crap
        up voted for trump.

  6. Don really? People of color are among the most reverent Christian’s: and, all Christian’s are well aware of the nationality of Jesus but thank you for clarifying that fact. I’m sorry you clearly have some issues with Christians; and, our devotion to our Savior but perhaps if you look beyond your love of
    the “collander” you’d have more to add to the conversation then snarky comments. God Bless you in your spiritual journey.

    • Jean– I was simply pointing out to this group of racist,
      who are very likely Christians that their savior was
      a person of color. I didn’t even mention that he was Jewish.
      I don’t think “all” Christians know that by any means.
      And I certainly didn’t in any way imply that people of color
      were not devout Christians.
      Please read my comment again if you need any further
      clarification that I was speaking to the hypocrisy
      of these ignorant pigs.
      They truly are Chino’s (Christian in name only)
      Peace ,Love, and Pasta.

    • There are true Christ-ians who follow and practice the teachings of Jesus Christ which consist of two essential commandments:

      1) LOVE GOD
      and
      2) LOVE ONE ANOTHER
      A lot of people calling themselves Christians or Barnegan Christian those people are saved and those people will tell you you’re going to hell if you’re not saved blah blah blah.
      In my own walk through this life, I can honestly say that the most judgmental shaming people I have ever known were all born again “Christians”.
      And the most loving, kind compassionate generous people I have met have come from many spiritual traditions including including Agnostics and Atheists ~ Who all share one common trait: they extended Love to All. Jesus was about LOVE.
      So if you ain’t loving toward All, you ain’t a Christian.

        • andy– Martha is just pointing out an anecdotal
          observation. I kind of notice that also.
          Sometimes even right here on this very site,
          as a matter of fact.
          Just take the fact that they think anyone who
          doesn’t accept Jesus as their savior is doomed
          to an eternity of suffering.
          That core belief it tautological evidence of the
          judgement of this particular sect.
          But to bring it back to the white “nationalist”
          we are talking about, why would anyone be surprised ?

  9. One would think this all powerful group would be brave enough to identify themselves? I would not hide from any sign I put up. Any surveillance cameras?

    • Theresa, there’s nothing overtly racist about what’s written on these signs. If you go to their website and look at the section called Manifesto, they go into greater detail about how we should define a strong America. They’re not subtle.

    • America First was a slogan that was popular with the KKK. The use of those words carries strong hints about the ideology of this group. Try cracking a history book, just for the heck of it.

      • Perhaps you should crack the history books. When the KKK was formed it had some requirements to join the organization. They were that you must hate the Republicans. You must hate everyone non-white. You must hate the Jews. You must hate the Roman-Catholics. And most of all, you must be a Democrat. Sounds like things haven’t changed much in the last 150 years! You can have your own opinion but not your own facts.

        • Your facts on Republicans is not complete. In the late 1950s the Democratic Party became the new champion of civil rights and has remained so to this day.

          • And do tell your new history. Civil Rights Act of 1957. The bill passed 285–126 in the House of Representatives with a majority of both parties’ support (Republicans 167–19, Democrats 118–107). It then passed 72–18 in the Senate, again with a majority of both parties (Republicans 43–0, Democrats 29–18). Overwhelmingly passed by Republicans. Democrats held the majority in both the House and the Senate. Tell me again who was the champion?

        • That tired old argument about the Klan and Democrats is so weak it’s laughable.
          Try this. Find a chapter of the Klan and ask if any of them vote Democrat.

      • Brenda– a strong family in their world
        is a Chino white man and a Chino white woman.
        The more kids the better, and the more guns they
        have the better.
        Their children are taught that they are superior
        not only in race but religion and political ideology.
        That’s about it.
        About the masks —–
        They are secretly very afraid of COVID because they
        are either too stupid or too indoctrinated to have
        gotten vaccinated, I would be very afraid of COVID
        if I had no vaccinations.

        • Non-covid mask wearing began during the Defund the Police movement. Nowadays, political activists on both sides wear masks to avoid face-recognition technology and subsequent arrest, especially since four well-known Black activists got arrested recently for holding a “No to War” rally.
          Politics aside, I don’t see how your pro-vax stance translates into disdain for white people and the Christian religion. Protests against covid mandates were international and hugely diverse. The group that supports covid mandates is white liberals. Now that TV anchors are talking up vaccines and mask mandates again, consider this:
          Dec 13, 2021 – “WE SAY NO TO MANDATES – The National Black Caucus of the Green Party of the United States strongly opposes the use of forced vaccination via mandates and the discrimination that is being generated around these policies.
          Vaccine mandates and vaccine passports are among the most vile, unconstitutional, immoral, unscientific, discriminatory and outright criminal policies ever enforced upon the population and goes against everything the Green Party stands for under Social Justice. These policies are coming from an out-of-control government at the behest of the pharmaceutical industry. The mainstream media and social media are also working in lock-step to censor any and all doctors, scientists, and investigative journalists who have an opposing view or who even question the current mainstream media orthodoxy.
          Workers are being forced out of their jobs, many with medical exceptions from their doctors, students are being denied entrance to educational institutions, needed medical treatment is being denied, medical privacy is being violated, constitutionally protected rights to movement and assembly (including the right to travel) are being threatened, rights to normal societal participation are being decimated.
          The National Black Caucus of the Green Party of the United States adheres to the principle that Informed Consent in all personal health and medical decisions is an inalienable human right.
          Under no circumstances shall any medical treatment or procedure — including psychotropic medications, vaccines and/or other injectable treatments — be mandated or coerced. Individuals should be allowed to protect/heal themselves in a manner that best supports their medical and spiritual beliefs.” http://www.blackcaucusgreens.org

  11. Home grown terrorism has been named as the number one threat to our country. The first amendment isn’t sacrosanct. You cannot yell fire in a crowded theater. Hate spawns anger and anger spawns rage and rage spawns action. The fewer hate groups there are the safer we will all be. I am continually reminded that sitting in a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a Cadillac. It sounds trite but actions speak louder than words.

  12. The rise of “Christian Nationalism” does not have anything to do with Christianity, its a cover for white supremacy and it is the most dangerous group this country is facing.

    The concept of Patriotism has also been maligned with hate groups.
    We are entering a very dangerous era.

  13. Imagine having such a shallow pathetic life that you need to spend your free time fomenting hate around the country? Honestly, grow up you clowns.

  14. It’s a very sad day when Martha’s Vineyard, to me the most beautiful place in the world, has been infiltrated with hatred.

  17. Well, it seems we are all in agreement about this one.
    Except for one person who seems to be trying to
    convince us that this hate group is dominated by liberals.
    But that’s to be expected.

Comments are closed.