Lexington neighborhood littered with KKK fliers ahead of MLK Jr. downtown march
Fliers advertising white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan were found in a downtown Lexington neighborhood late Sunday night and early Monday morning, according to the neighborhood association’s president.
The hate group’s fliers came in advance a federal holiday celebrating the life of Civil Rights Movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is unclear who distributed them.
The distribution of fliers alarmed residents of the Kenwick area, like Blake Hall, president of the neighborhood association. Hall said he reacted with “disgust.”
According to photos of the fliers sent to the Herald-Leader, one sought young recruits for the “KKK’s Youth Clan Corp’s (sic).” Another flier called the MLK holiday “James Earl Ray Day,” after the assassin who killed King.
The fliers were also found in the smaller Bell Court neighborhood, closer to downtown, as well. Jen Davis Keefe found them while on a nightly walk with her daughter, which began around 8:45 p.m.
“Last night we saw one flyer that was at the end of my neighbor’s driveway. We picked it up thinking it was just trash. Then we realized they were everywhere — sidewalks, people’s yards, driveways. We ended up picking up about 100 of them,” Keefe said.
She said it seemed like the fliers were being actively distributed during her walk.
“When we came back around, there were new flyers in places where we had already picked them up. It was almost like someone came behind us and put more out,” Keefe said.
Lexington hosts a well-attended demonstration in honor of King’s legacy every year on Jan. 19, featuring a march through downtown and remarks from community leaders.
Hall told the Herald-Leader the reaction among his community has been unanimous.
“It’s nice to see my neighborhood’s universal rejection and revulsion against it,” Hall said.
He said a neighbor first reported seeing the fliers in their yard last night. Other residents in the area, which sits between Lexington’s downtown core and the Idle Hour area, spotted them this morning.
Hall added Lexington police were called to the scene via a non-emergency line Sunday night.
“It seems like they’re going for shock and awe on MLK day and trying to get that attention. The fact that they’re doing it in the middle of the night shows how much of cowards they really are,” Hall said.
Lexington Police Department spokesperson Hannah Sloan wrote in a statement to the Herald-Leader the department “has been made aware” of the pamphlets in a Lexington neighborhood.
She urged anyone with information to call LPD at 859-258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers at 859-253-2020 or online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.
This is not an isolated incident. Similar fliers with racist propaganda were dropped off across Central Kentucky in October. Police in Frankfort reported KKK fliers in their community that month, as did officials in Midway.
This story was originally published January 19, 2026 at 2:06 PM.
