OAKLAND COUNTY (WWJ) West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills Police are searching for suspects who left bags of antisemitic fliers in driveways and front yards of over 200 homes across both communities.
In a press release; West Bloomfield Police said their dispatch received a call on Saturday (10/5) around 8 a.m. about residents of a subdivision receiving Ziploc bags full of fliers with anti-Jewish rhetoric. The caller said the fliers were placed in the driveways on Pelican Way (4800 block) in the area of Pontiac Trail and Halsted.
Police said their investigation revealed over 100 households in the neighborhood received similar antisemitic material overnight. A resident’s security camera captured footage of an “unknown dark-colored pickup truck” driving in the neighborhood on Friday around 11:45 p.m. However, police said they are unsure if the pickup truck is connected to the incident. No suspects have been identified at this time.
“The West Bloomfield Police Department strongly condemns hate of any kind and is actively investigating this situation as a case of ethnic intimidation,” police said in their press release.
Meanwhile, the Farmington Hills Police Department also received a similar call. In a separate press release, they said their officers responded on Saturday to the area of 14 Mile and Farmington “regarding several residents who found virulent antisemitic material strewn on their front lawns.”
“The neighbors opened the bags to find they contained an antisemitic flier that had been thrown onto their front lawns and driveways overnight,” the Farmington Hills Police press release read.
Farmington Hills Police said they eventually discovered an additional 100 households in their community received the fliers. The bags were also weighted down with “various non-hazardous materials."
“The timing of this detestable activity exacerbates the chilling effect on our community,” Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said in the release. “This type of hateful activity will not be tolerated in Farmington Hills and our agency will use all available resources to prevent, investigate and prosecute those responsible for this incident.”
King said a team of Farmington Hills detectives and command officers helped with the investigation, including a door to door canvas, evidence collection, and witness interviews. Investigators are coordinating with State and Federal Law Enforcement, the Anti-Defamation League and other communities who experienced similar incidents.
This occurred just two days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.
If you have information on these incidents, call the Farmington Hills Police Department Command Desk at (248) 871-2610 or West Bloomfield Police at (248) 975-8934.