While Memphis and much of Tennessee continue to push forward into the future. It would seem a few groups want to pull everything back into the past. Some Tennessee residents recently found hate-filled flyers from white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and Patriot Front.
In Memphis, flyers were distributed in late January. They are similar to ones found in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. This comes after President Donald Trump signed several executive orders during his first week back in office, including one that outlines mass deportation.
Kermit Moore, president of NAACP Memphis branch, said: “The Memphis branch executive committee has come out against the flyers that have been circulating for the past two weeks or so. We denounce these kinds of actions. The NAACP Memphis branch has stood against racism and sexism since its inception in 1916, and we will continue to fight these threats by any means necessary. We will not stand by idly, and we encourage law enforcement to investigate these matters thoroughly.”
The most recent flyers surfaced January 28, 2025, in Chattanooga, Cleveland and Athens, Tennessee. Authorities responding to a Chattanooga call were met by several residents who found the flyers on their streets. One resident reported seeing people on the back of a truck throwing the flyers in the roadway.
These flyers state, “Leave now, self-deport, avoid deportation” and “Americans on guard: Help us protect our homeland.” The group listed on the flyers is the “Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.” According to the Chattanooga Police Department, the flyers invite new members into their group while informing them of a Kentucky event.
The CPD contacted the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Tennessee Fusion Center about the flyers.
William Bader, who calls himself the imperial grand wizard of the Trinity White Knights of the KKK, has even gone so far as to call East Tennessee news organizations claiming his group delivered a total of 2,000 flyers to several cities. He said they are distributing flyers in several Southern states to recruit new members.
A Cleveland resident told a “Local 3 News” TV reporter that as both an American and a human being he was “disgusted” at the sight of the flyers.
In a written statement, Chattanooga City Council member Demetrus Coonrod said the flyers “strike at the very heart of what we hold dear in our diverse communities. Please make no mistake, there is utterly no place for such vile hate-filled rhetoric in Chattanooga or anywhere else in our country.”
The CPD report says these flyers were meant to intimidate immigrants. In a written statement, Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers said CPD is “working tirelessly, utilizing every resource available, to identify and hold accountable the individuals who, under the cover of nightfall, sought to spread fear, hatred and division in our community.”
Law enforcement agencies encourage anyone with information that might be connected to these flyers to contact authorities immediately.
Some residents were shocked to see this level of hate still exists in their community and refused to let this group have the last word. In response to the KKK flyers, some put up their own flyers that state, “Chattanooga ‘hearts’ immigrants.”
Other community members have refused to let children see the KKK flyers. To keep kids from accidentally coming across one, they are working together to clean up their neighborhoods.
Moore said: “We ask all Memphis and Mid-South people to join us in the fight for a fair and just society. Together, we will rise above hatred and be a stronger united community. United we stand. Divided we beg.”
Jay Green contributed to the reporting of this story.
