Klan Fliers in Milford Are 'Illegal,' Says Police Chief

The recent apparent actions of a white supremacist group in Milford not only soil the good reputation of the city but also violate two state statutes and a city ordinance, local and state officials, including Governor Malloy, said Wednesday from the steps of Milford City Hall.

“This or any other material that’s left on someone’s private property without their permission is a violation of two state statutes, as we see it, and a violation of a city ordinance,” Milford Police Chief Keith Mello said at the news conference.

Fliers with the message "Neighborhood Watch: You can sleep well tonight knowing the UKA (United Klans of America) is awake!" have been left in the driveways of residents in the northern and northeastern sections of Milford over the past few days, Mello said.

Mello said police have found 49 fliers, which are contained in a plastic baggie weighted with rocks so as to be thrown from a car, since Monday. Mello said the department left a voicemail on the number provided on the flier but “nobody’s called us back. We’ve made it very clear in our message, this is to stop – it’s illegal.”

On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a statement that said although the UKA is a white supremacist group, it is unrelated to the group of the same name “that disbanded in the 1980s and was known for many acts of violence, including a number of murders.”

The ADL said the group distributing fliers in Milford is a new association and the recycling of the old name was for “brand-name recognition.”

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he called the news conference to make the message clear that Connecticut does not side with any type of supremacist group.

“Maybe they’ve gotten what they wanted, maybe they just wanted some attention,” Malloy said. “But the danger of that is soiling the reputation of Milford, the reputation of our state – Klan, you are not welcomed in the state of Connecticut.”

“No one in their right mind is asking you to be here,” the governor said.

Frank and Lynn Lyons, an interracial married couple living in Milford, were at the presser with signs that read “Hatred doesn’t belong in Milford” and “Hatred is not a Milford value, stop hating!”

Lynn Lyons said they got hitched in 1974, after an amendment was passed in the state constitution that acknowledged interracial marriage.

“I was totally shocked, overwhelmed to hear this was still going on in 2013,” she said. “It’s overdue for it to end.”