So my coworker got this Christmas card in the mail...

laurenclaire1386

From a group that calls themselves "The New Klan." It came with a card and a letter proclaiming that this group wants to protect "white rights." It also came with a business card that had burning crosses on it. I'm shocked and appalled and so is the coworker who got this in the mail. And the rest of our office. What's weird, is the card was sent through the mail and postmarked, not just stuck in her mailbox and she has no idea where in the hell these people got her address. The real irony is that the stamp that's on the envelope has a picture of Richard Wright (a black poet) on it. It's really heartbreaking that groups like this still exist and are spreading hate. Another backward day in Louisiana.

AmoroAgain

Oooh my.  That's... messed up.

laurenclaire1386

Yeah it's truly awful. The business card has all of these people's (presumably the leaders of this group) names and phone numbers on it, and I'm contemplating what I can do with that information.

lyndausvi

I'm speechless.

danieliza1127

Wow, that is really messed up.  I think if I were her, I might turn it over to the authorities or something.  I don't know if they could do anything, but at least be alerted to the presence of the group maybe and maybe have on record that she is in no way affiliated with the group?

TheSaltyPeanut

Oh no... that's really disturbing.  It amazes me that people still have that mind set.

FutureMrsTR

holy.crap.  That's insane that something like that would randomly get sent to people.

goheels05

Wow.  WTF.

vallyhoo

That's upsetting.

laurenclaire1386

Dani, that's been the general consensus of the office: that we need to give it to someone, and at least make sure the proper authorities aware that this group exists and that my coworker wants absolutely no part of it.

squirrly

Yeah, I'd contact the police. 

lyndausvi

I wonder why it was addressed to her?  Does she know anyone in the group?

danieliza1127

I would start with the police department and even your local Prosecutor's Office, they might have hate crime divisions.

BecW2be

God but I'd be tempted to burn some rebel flags in those yards if I had the addresses. With a trail of lighter fluid to their front doors. I hate ignorant fuckers.

laurenclaire1386

It had her street address on the envelope, but not her name.  It was addressed to "Neighbor." She didn't recognize any of the names listed on the business card, though.

AmoroAgain

Most likely, the authorities are already aware of this group.    Especially if they're being forward enough to send out things like that. 

pinkpinot

You can't do anything.  Not with organizations like the ACLU who would protect groups like that, they've done it in the past.

It is really sad.  My dad lives in a small town and the KKK has actually adopted a highway and clean/pickup trash in their white masks, it's sick.

laurenclaire1386

And the good news is, we work for lawyers who are very well known and respected in the community and have lots of ties to law enforcement. It'd be pretty easy to get this crap into the right hands (maybe the DA's office) and maybe keep something terrible from happening.

lyndausvi

I would imagine they are protected by free speech, so the authorities can't really do anything

laurenclaire1386

Amoro and Lynda, these are things that I've considered as well. I'm just so outraged though, that I don't think I can just let this one lie. Even if no one can do anything about it, I'll sleep better at night at least knowing I did what I could to make someone who has much more authority than I do aware of it.

crfische

That's so disheartening.

But so is NAMBLA, and they exist.

danieliza1127

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_coworker-got-this-christmas-card-mail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:94b41d95-89a8-4313-a3fa-05a02c72b99fPost:ca2d66a4-daf2-45fb-afba-ac7e0723c66d">Re: So my coworker got this Christmas card in the mail...</a>:
[QUOTE]Amoro and Lynda, these are things that I've considered as well. I'm just so outraged though, that I don't think I can just let this one lie. Even if no one can do anything about it, I'll sleep better at night at least knowing I did what I could to make someone who has much more authority than I do aware of it.
Posted by laurenclaire1386[/QUOTE]

That's what I figured, which is why I suggested turning it over to the police.  They probably won't be able to do anything, and they may already know the group exists, but at least you'll feel like you did something about it, rather than just accepting it. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Whoa. Just whoa.

And ditto that they can't stop groups like this from existing (sad as it is that they DO exist in the first place). But if they do anything illegal, law enforcement should know about them. And if there are hate speech laws in your area, they might be persecuted more strongly for being affiliated with a hate group if any of them do something terrible that targets "non-whites."

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_coworker-got-this-christmas-card-mail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:94b41d95-89a8-4313-a3fa-05a02c72b99fPost:875a72a1-edab-44bb-a768-fcaec2402f4f">Re: So my coworker got this Christmas card in the mail...</a>:
[QUOTE]You can't do anything.  Not with organizations like the ACLU who would protect groups like that, they've done it in the past.
Posted by pinkpinot[/QUOTE]

What are you implying?

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_coworker-got-this-christmas-card-mail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:94b41d95-89a8-4313-a3fa-05a02c72b99fPost:875a72a1-edab-44bb-a768-fcaec2402f4f">Re: So my coworker got this Christmas card in the mail...</a>:
[QUOTE]You can't do anything.  Not with organizations like the ACLU who would protect groups like that, they've done it in the past. It is really sad.  My dad lives in a small town and the KKK has actually adopted a highway and clean/pickup trash in their white masks, it's sick.
Posted by pinkpinot[/QUOTE]

You sound as though you think what the ACLU does is bad?  While I would agree that the KKK is a disgusting group whos time is long past, I feel that the alternative is to begin a chipping away of our civil liberties that we may not feel now, but would certainly feel in the future.  FWIW, Germany has outlawed NeoNazi groups, but they still exist. 

lyndausvi

I here ya.   It is distrubing. But until they do something illegal, a group 'protecting white right' is not different than groups who protect rights of any other group of people.

 Down here there is musical group who sings about killing the white rabbit (aka white people).  As distrubing as it is to hear.  It's free speech and there is nothing I can do about it except avoid being around when this group plays a concert.

pinkpinot

PPs mentioned calling authorities & lawyers.  I'm simply saying that you can't take legal action because organizations like ACLU protect the rights (freedom of speech) for those types of groups - they've done it before and I believe it was with a neo nazi group (I could be wrong).  That is all.  I never said if I felt they were good or bad.  I was implying that people attemtped to silence these groups before and ACLU won the legal battle. 

AmoroAgain

Well, probably because of that little thing called the First Amendment.  You should learn about it, it's pretty important.

pinkpinot

Learn about it? I understand it which is why I said "you can't do anything".  I'm not the person suggesting legal action or contacting authorities. 

lyndausvi

BTW - You co-worker should at least contact the organization to get off their mailing list.   There is a nationwide direct mail do not contact list that I believe organizations must honor. 

At least she will not have to received those type of mailing in the future.

AmoroAgain

Pink, there was a definite "tone" to your original post where it sounded like you feel the ACLU's job is unwelcome.