Covington police seek source of anti-gay …..
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Covington police seek source of anti-gay fliers ahead of a rally against hate crimesBy Scott Wartman - Kentucky Enquirer
COVINGTON — Two days after the Covington City Commission held a news conference reaffirming the city's human rights ordinance, people in the MainStrasse neighborhood woke up Thursday to dozens of anti-gay fliers posted on poles and placed on windshields.
The fliers come in the wake of a series of crimes that police and residents believe have targeted the city's gay community.
The Covington Police are investigating who is responsible for the fliers. The person or persons could face fines for violating the city's sign ordinance, which prohibits signs and advertisements to be attached to lamp posts and utilities, city Solicitor Frank Warnock said. Fines can range from $100 to $500 per violation to a maximum of $10,000.
"We are locating them and removing the hateful remarks from the public areas," said Spike Jones, assistant chief with the Covington Police. "They are violating city ordinances being posted on trees and poles. We are very concerned about the message this flier contains."
Though no organization signed the letter, it asked people to contact a group called the National Alliance.
In typewritten text without pictures, the flier contained many anti-gay epithets and calls homosexuality a perversion, making references to serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy. The flier also criticizes city politicians and local media.
City Commissioner Shawn Master said he received a call from someone early Thursday morning about the fliers. Masters said he went out early in the morning to tear down some of them. Many were found on Bakewell, Greer and Willard streets.
This will not halt plans for a rally Saturday evening planned at six bars in the MainStrasse to raise money for an anti-hate-crimes campaign, Masters said.
"We are still standing united on moving forward with the rally on Saturday," Masters said. "I've shared this with the commission. Everyone is pretty appalled by the flier. It just assures us that we will stand even stronger."
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