Waterloo community members decry ‘Aryan Nation’ recruitment leaflets which sparked ‘widespread concern, fear’

Waterloo community leaders held a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to condemn “hate crimes and harassment” following a recent “Aryan Nation” recruitment campaign, they said. Leaflets distributed recently in Cedar Valley neighborhoods promoting “white supremacist ideologies” have sparked widespread concern and fear among residents, said members of the Waterloo Human Rights Commission.

“We strongly condemn these attempts to sow division and hatred in our community,” Rev. Abraham Funchess, Jr., director of the Waterloo Human Rights Commission and pastor of Jubilee United Methodist Church, said in the press release. “For those of us engaged in justice work, we will not tolerate any form of hate crime or harassment targeting our neighbors.”

Robert Duncan, Waterloo police chief, said law enforcement officials are investigating, considering what charges to file and asked anyone with information or video to contact the police. He also advised people to report suspicious or threatening behavior.

“We take this matter with a heavy heart,” he said.

LaTanya Graves, president of the NAACP of Black Hawk County, decried the leaflets and called for the FBI to join with law enforcement to identify those involved.

Bishop Randy Jackson, of the Cedar Valley Eastside Ministerial Alliance, said hate will not be tolerated.

“We stand against any type of hate,” he said.

Activist and retired educator Rev. Michael Blackwell countered: “Hate has a home in Cedar Valley and the state of Iowa.” He said Iowa and Waterloo/Cedar Falls have been ranked among the worst places for African Americans to live due to racial disparities. He said hatred and discrimination have been “around here for over a century.”

“We’re kidding ourselves if we do not recognize it’s found a home here,” he said.

People are now espousing hatred “boldly and audaciously,” he said.

“We need to stop it right now,” he said.

Read the release and watch the press conference posted on the city of Waterloo’s website.

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