Nazi flyers found in Rookwood bookstore

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Flyers for a white-supremacist group reportedly appeared at a Rookwood Commons bookstore over the weekend.

The flyers, supposedly for the American Identity Movement, were said to be found at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

The reports come just days after a shooting at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey left six people dead, including the two accused gunmen. Authorities are saying hatred for Jewish people was the motive behind that crime.

FOX19 NOW spoke with members of the Jewish community in Cincinnati. One says it’s a ‘very scary time’ for Jewish people.

“People see this and they’re disturbed groups like this feel like they’ll get traction in this city,” Jewish Community Relations Council Director Jackie Congedo said.

The AIM, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is an alt-right white-supremacist group.

Congedo said data from the ADL shows the group is responsible for nearly half of the alt-right propaganda distributed nationwide.

“These types of incidents, like I said, are becoming more and more common," Congedo said. “And we do know Ohio and Kentucky are among the top in the nation in terms of number of these incidents.”

According to the ADL’s website, the country has seen nearly a 200 percent increase in alt-right propaganda efforts.

“This is a way for them to spread their message without having to be on television or out in the public," Congedo said. “It’s really cowardly and, fundamentally, it’s very un-American.”

Congedo told FOX19 NOW that bookstores are often targeted by the groups, and members will place flyers in books with subjects relevant to the points they are trying to make.

“We see this as an early warning sign of the kinds of things we need to look out for, things we need to be educating about, so that we don’t end up with escalation of incidents or other things that could be more harmful to the community," Congedo explained.

FOX19 NOW spoke with a manager at Joseph-Beth. They didn’t want to go on camera, but they say this happens often, not just alt-right groups, but different types of religious groups putting flyers in the store.

The manager says they throw the propaganda away when they find it.

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