Bloomington officials respond to antisemitic posters around the city

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A series of antisemitic flyers were posted around downtown Bloomington this past weekend.

The flyers were posted at various businesses with no clear direction, save for the one posted at the office of the McLean County Democrats. The posters had many targets, including the Biden Administration, feminism and Blackrock, a large investment firm that’s often been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

According to Bloomington police officer Bryce Janssen, there is not much the police can do.

“This isn’t exactly something we want in our community,” Janssen said. “But at the same time, hate speech is protected speech.”

The police are still investigating to see if a hate crime has been committed along with the posters. After they were discussed on social media, Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe quickly responded.

“To our Jewish neighbors and all those impacted—I stand with you,” Mwilambwe said. “The City stands with you. We are committed to fostering a community where everyone feels safe and valued.”

While the police are not able to do much, Janssen still has suggestions on what concerned citizens should do.

“The main thing is to have dialogue about it and let people know this is not OK,” Janssen said. “Make sure people know your feelings on things like this.”