SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – It looks like something from the Jim Crow era: An overtly racist flyer with a picture of Trayvon Martin and the words "Zimmerman was right. We will stop thugs like this."
The flyers also show the names and pictures of several white Southfield political officials and the words "Lets get the blacks out of Southfield in November."
Flyers like these were left on the lawns on some Southfield residents over the weekend.
"When I heard about this, I flipped out," said Barry Ross, an advocate for The Marcus Garvey Movement in Detroit.
"How come no one saw anybody going to porches, condos or whatever?" Ross said.
The issue was mentioned in Monday night's city council meeting. Earlier, the city released this statement about the flyers:
"The City of Southfield is proud to be a diverse community that is inclusive of all people. Southfield elected officials, staff and residents of numerous ethnic and religious backgrounds work effectively together every day to maintain the high quality of life that we have all come to expect and appreciate. No Southfield elected officials or staff condone this type of negative, deconstructive and harmful propaganda that is both unfounded and untrue."
Local 4 talked to Ken Siver, a candidate for mayor and one of the faces on the flyer. He says he's outraged someone would do this.
"It's not our value here," Siver said. "We all get along, we are a model of diversity and inclusiveness and whomever is behind this, it's very sad that they're trying to pull us apart."
"I just want the community at large to be aware, look out their windows, turn their lights on at night and make sure their streets are safe, because we don't know where this is going to go," Ross said. "And with all the racism that's going on in this country, this is not the right time to see this."
Some are calling for a police investigation into the matter because many of the flyers were stuffed in mailboxes without postage. There could be possible campaign violations as well.