MAYNARD — Select Board Chair David Gavin, Town Administrator Gregory Johnson and Police Chief Michael Noble on behalf of the Town of Maynard, its municipal government officials and the Maynard Police Department wish to strongly and unequivocally renew their collective condemnation and denouncement of white supremacy, hate speech, racism and discrimination in all forms after a listed hate group posted stickers and materials in the Town of Maynard.
Earlier this week, a resident informed police that a white supremacy organization known by and listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, posted stickers on parking meters and utility poles in Maynard. The stickers were found on Main and Nason streets advertising the hate group’s messaging.
“Dangerous, violent and extremist groups that spread messages of hate and intolerance are a cancer,” Chair Gavin said. “Maynard is a safe and welcoming place for all people from all backgrounds. We stand against hate and the groups that spread hatred in our communities.”
Maynard Police have directed patrols and have checked available video surveillance but have not identified those responsible for posting the materials. The Commonwealth Fusion Center, a law enforcement mutual aid intelligence gathering and sharing resource, was also notified that a hate group was actively disseminating material in Maynard.
Several other communities in Massachusetts have since reported finding similar hateful propaganda in their cities and towns as well. Officials have removed all stickers and other materials that have been located.
M.G.L. C. 266 Section 126B, Which states that it is a crime to “….. places a sticker upon a building, wall, fence, sign, tablet, gravestone, monument or other object or thing on a public way or adjoined to it, or in public view, or on private property,….”
“If identified, those responsible for posting these hateful messages will be prosecuted,” Chief Noble said. “We do not tolerate the defacement of our public spaces with messages of hate and intolerance.”
The Town of Maynard is not naming the group.
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