When mentally ill people do such things, keep it in perspective: they are doing this because they are mentally ill. Their illness trumps racism/antisemitism.

Sounds like a young mentally ill man. Probably lives in the area—with his parents, in subsidized housing, or on the street.

Which part of Ktown?

Anonymous wrote:I envision an old male with mental illness who is anti-semitic. How would he even think of the rice bags. I've never heard of such a thing. Someone posted this isn't illegal. I can't believe it. He needs to be stopped.

“He needs to be stopped” sounds like inciting violence. Lay off the hate speech.

I envision an old male with mental illness who is anti-semitic. How would he even think of the rice bags. I've never heard of such a thing. Someone posted this isn't illegal. I can't believe it. He needs to be stopped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

Yeah, leaving these fliers is vile and hateful, but not illegal. (Vandalizing property, as at Whitman or the Capital Crescent Trail, is another matter.)

I still think unlikely they're related, though -- why would you assume there's just one Jew-hater running around out there? All the evidence recently would seem to suggest there are, unfortunately, quite a few.

It is hate speech which can be criminalized when it directly invites criminal activity or consists of violent threats against a specific person or group.

I’m the OP

We read it thoroughly and there was nothing in the entire pamphlet that could even arguably meet either of those criteria. There was nothing inciting violence, nothing that was a overt or even implied threat against an individual or a group, and no racial or ethic slurs. It’s almost as though it’s been “lawyered”.

Is it “hate speech”? I dunno. I think hate speech is sorta like pornography: “you can’t really define it but you know it when you see it”. That’s why I’m undecided. But I’m wary of labeling anything and everything that offends me as hate speech. That diminishes and dilutes examples of actual hate speech, which should shock and offend everyone. I suspect the moron who left this on our front walk thinks he hates us, but in terms of hair splitting legal standards, I don’t think this qualifies as hate speech itself. Most of the text itself is quotes from various people “featured” on the pamphlet. It’s their own words. Readers have to conjecture their own conclusions based on the context.

Like I said, I’d have a begrudging respect for this small (literally and figuratively) man if he’d had the courage to knock on the door and hand it to me. The best way to fight ignorance and prejudice is to meet those who you harbor stereotypes about. This guy probably doesn’t even personally know a Jew. Only what he’s been told by other morons.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

Yeah, leaving these fliers is vile and hateful, but not illegal. (Vandalizing property, as at Whitman or the Capital Crescent Trail, is another matter.)

I still think unlikely they're related, though -- why would you assume there's just one Jew-hater running around out there? All the evidence recently would seem to suggest there are, unfortunately, quite a few.

It is hate speech which can be criminalized when it directly invites criminal activity or consists of violent threats against a specific person or group.

At least you’re confident in your own stupidity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

Yeah, leaving these fliers is vile and hateful, but not illegal. (Vandalizing property, as at Whitman or the Capital Crescent Trail, is another matter.)

I still think unlikely they're related, though -- why would you assume there's just one Jew-hater running around out there? All the evidence recently would seem to suggest there are, unfortunately, quite a few.

It is hate speech which can be criminalized when it directly invites criminal activity or consists of violent threats against a specific person or group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

Yeah, leaving these fliers is vile and hateful, but not illegal. (Vandalizing property, as at Whitman or the Capital Crescent Trail, is another matter.)

I still think unlikely they're related, though -- why would you assume there's just one Jew-hater running around out there? All the evidence recently would seem to suggest there are, unfortunately, quite a few.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

The rice was stolen.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I hope the police can investigate to see if all these hate crimes are related. People are accusing Whitman students and hating on white rich people, of course.

What was the crime?

Anonymous wrote:I’m so sorry this happened. I have a number of Jewish friends in Kensington. I feel bad for them to have this in their neighborhood. I do wonder if it’s the same couple of people that did the painting on the trolley trail, at Whitman, and the hate bags.

Seems unlikely that there is only one antisemite in all of southern Montgomery County, unfortunately.

Someone left equally discombobulated/incoherent flyers blaming Jews for all sorts of problems on doorsteps in Petworth when we lived there years ago, OP, though without the bags of rice (which just seems to make the whole thing weirder).

We had a mezuzah on the door but looked like whoever left the flier put them at every house on our block, so I didn't feel like it was an attempt to target us. But it still felt fairly unwelcoming. Sorry this happened again.

Eeek! What a nutjob and terrible person to do this kind of thing.

OK, going off track...

You can throw the raw rice in your lawn for it to feed soil organisms. If you want to feed birds with it, it is recommended that you cook the rice first else birds get stomach ache with raw polished white rice.

Anonymous wrote:What’s the rice about?

The rice is just to add some kind of weight to the bag to make it easier to toss a short distance and also to hold it in place on the ground so the baggie doesn’t blow away in the breeze.

Sometimes they also use birdseed or small rocks. It’s just weight. Has no significance beyond that.

What’s the rice about?