Racist Message Litters Downtown Streets Tiny Fliers Mostly Swept Up Before Hoopfest Play Opens

Sun., June 28, 1998

Luke Timmerman Staff writer

Before tens of thousands of Hoopfest fans and players came downtown, Spokane police and shop owners were sweeping up racist propaganda.

Confetti-style racist fliers were discovered early Saturday morning at several downtown Spokane intersections.

Hundreds of the fliers - about half the size of a business card - were dumped on the sidewalk in front of the Flour Mill on West Mallon. They were found about 3 a.m.

Police also swept up hundreds of the papers near the intersection of Wall Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard about 5:15 a.m.

The papers carried a boldly printed racist message, accompanied by a swastika. The papers were attributed to a neo-Nazi group from Lincoln, Neb., which is affiliated with the Aryan Nations, based in Hayden Lake, Idaho.

At the Flour Mill, shop owner Jim Bickel swept up many of the papers before opening. He didn’t quite get them all; several customers brought them in with disgusted looks on their faces.

“It’s just not good, period,” said Tobacco World owner Milo Hutchison. “We don’t need this.”

Sgt. Joe Peterson of the Spokane Police Department said the incident at the Flour Mill was the only one reported to police. Officers patrolling for Hoopfest were briefed on the racist fliers, and told to be on the lookout for people wanting to pick a fight.

Police have no suspects, although the only crime committed was littering.

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