Novato police investigate distribution of anti-Semitic flyers as 'hate incident'
NOVATO -- Police in Novato are investigating a hate incident after someone left anti-Semitic flyers in the driveways of homes in the southern area of town, authorities said.
On Monday at around 9:30 a.m., police began receiving reports from the community regarding the flyers in plastic sandwich bags being left outside homes in both the south end of the city near Ignacio Boulevard and in unincorporated areas of Novato along Bel Marin Keys Boulevard.
Responding officers investigated and found that the flyers contained anti-Semitic hate speech. While they were not determined to be a violation of the law, the distribution of the flyers is being classified as what police called "a hate-motivated incident."
"A hate motivated incident is an action, or a behavior motivated by hate but legally protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression," a press release issued by Novato police said. "This can include distribution of materials with hate messages."
A similar incident in Novato and Tiburon was jointly investigated by the police departments of those two cities and Marin County authorities back in late February.
In the released statement, Novato police said the department works with the community "to stand up against all forms of hate expression." Police have partnered with Not In Our Town to encourage victims of hate crime to report incidents promptly and to show that Novato police does not tolerate these types of incidents.
Police have added an online reporting tool to the city's website to make it easier and more comfortable for victims to come forward and share information about hate activity. The department has also made a pamphlet available for community members with information and resources about hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents.
"The safety and wellbeing of our community members is our priority," Police Chief Beth Johnson said in the release. "The Novato Police Department takes matters of hate incidents and hate crimes very seriously and we are committed to investigating these incidents fully."
Hate incidents can also be reported directly to police by calling the dispatch center at 415-897-4361. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Novato Police Department and reference case number NP22-3449.
