More racist stickers posted around neighborhood

JOHNSTON — A little over a week after reports of anti-Semitic, anti-black and Islamophobic stickers appearing around a Johnston neighborhood, the stickers were back up on Wednesday night.

"This is the second time we have seen this," said Abdellah Mahfoude, a Muslim Moroccan immigrant. A "White Lives Matter" sticker was placed on a Providence Journal distribution box outside his Stop N Go store.

"Sometimes, it is sickening," Mahfoude said. "It is not only us they are going after."

Police were notified via email of most of the stickers around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening.

"We will investigate this fully and hopefully, with the community’s assistance, we can find out the individual that is responsible for this," said Johnston Deputy Police Chief Joseph Razza. "That is something that is not condoned."

"This is the first time I have seen these," Erik Lopez, a Providence resident and employee at a nearby restaurant, said in Spanish. "Obviously, I do not like this. ... If people continue like this, it could cause chaos and fighting between different groups."

The stickers were found along Greenville Avenue, on various poles between Jackson Avenue and Cherry Hill Avenue. They included images of an interracial couple with a prohibited sign over them, several "It's Okay to be White" and "White Lives Matter" stickers, and another with a hand with a raised middle finger at a Star of David — an internationally recognized symbol of Judaism.

Mahfoude confirmed that police had visited his store several times to check in since the last reported incident on Dec. 3.

The racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic stickers appearing in Johnston are appalling, and do not represent the true spirit of the Rhode Island and Johnston I know.

— Seth Magaziner (@SethMagaziner)December 13, 2018

— kandrade@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @Kevprojo