Oak Bluffs police are investigating four signs that were placed around town over the weekend in support of a white supremacist group.
Police found Patriot Front signs tacked to poles on various roads downtown Sunday morning, Oak Bluffs police chief Jonathan Searle said. The group, which has placed signs and done other attention-grabbing demonstrations in other parts of the country, is one of the most visible white supremacist groups in the U.S., according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Three signs, some of which read Strong Families, Strong Nations and America First, were initially found on utility poles, according to Chief Searle. Police also later learned about a fourth that was taken down by a resident.
At least two were placed outside Black-owned businesses in Oak Bluffs, according to Cape and Islands district attorney Robert Galibois. Oak Bluffs is a renowned summer destination for Black vacationers and the town is steeped in African-American history.
Chief Searle said the investigation is ongoing and there were no arrests as of Tuesday morning. Signs were found on Circuit avenue, Circuit avenue extension, Lake avenue and Dukes County avenue.
People can’t put signs on the utility poles, the chief said, and the Patriot Front signs were taken down Sunday.
Getting them up likely did take some effort, though. The sign on Circuit avenue was too high for an officer to reach and it was only able to be pulled down when someone nearby brought a ladder over.
Oak Bluffs police put out an alert to other Island departments about the signs and Chief Searle said he had not received any other reports of the signs going up elsewhere. The district attorney’s office has also been involved and asked people to notify police if they find any signs on public property or placed on private property without the owner’s permission.
About 100 members of Patriot Front marched in downtown Boston in July 2022, carrying riot shields and banners with the same slogans as those on the Oak Bluffs signs.
Comments
Comment policy »