Days after violent riots turned deadly at the nation's capitol, racist stickers were spotted on Chicago's North Side, and the timing is not lost on the alderman who represents the Lincoln Square neighborhood.
"It’s not funny. It’s not small in any way, especially after what happened last week when you had Confederate flags inside our nation’s capitol building. We take white supremacy very seriously," said 47th Ward Ald. Matt Martin.
Martin says his office was notified of the stickers over the weekend and immediately reported it to the city's Streets and Sanitation Department.
The stickers, placed on street signs on the 4200 block of North Lincoln, were removed Monday. However, NBC 5 spotted more on Wednesday.
"Stickers like that don’t reflect what we believe. They don’t reflect what I believe," Martin said.
Neighbors were disappointed to see the messages endorsing white supremacy, saying it's not representative of the diverse community they call home.
"I grew up in this neighborhood. My neighbors were Greek, Vietnamese. I’m Filipina. I’ve always felt safe," said Marita, who's lived in the neighborhood for forty years. "It’s really scary and disappointing and disheartening so close to home."
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"My initial reaction is disgust," said Michael Johnson, another resident. "It’s simply sickening that people aren’t realizing we live in a different type of world than what they are trying to promote, and it’s absolutely disgusting."
In October, days before the election, fliers promoting the "Proud Boys" were found on car windshields in the same area. The group has been designated as a hate group by the Sothern Poverty Law Center.
Although neighbors are concerned about a possible emerging trend, Martin says it's too soon to say if there is any connection between the incidents.
"Those messages are disgusting. They have no place in our community, and we’re not going to be bullied," he said.
