On Wednesday morning, Coronado residents were shocked to find antisemitic flyers tucked on the windshields of vehicles parked by the Coronado Middle School and Village Elementary School. According to the Coronado Police Department, a few dozen flyers were found on cars along Seventh and Eighth Streets near G Avenue, with residents reporting incidents as far away as Fourth Street.
The flyers said the authors were “fighting for the future of white Americans.” The flyers were headlined with the title, “California’s Jewish Mafia,” and claimed that the Jewish population has “hijacked our nation’s key institutions for profit,” and referenced the “traitorous, Zionist-occupied government.”
Local residents reacted with shock and anger.
“I was just shaking,” said a Coronado Jewish woman, who did not want to share her name. “And the fact that they were all outside the middle school…that kind of undid me.”
According to social media posts, at least two people were captured on camera after 10pm placing the flyers under windshield wipers, one wearing a jacket with some sort of badge or insignia, and another in a dark colored hoodie.
The flyers are labeled with the name, “Clockwork Crew,” which is described as a “fitness-focused, neo-Nazi group” based in Southern California, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The flyers are also marked by the group’s insignia.
“As a Coronado resident, and a mom who is Jewish, having to explain this to my kid, this just sucks,” said the woman, whose son attends CMS. “I mean, a minority group was attacked right near our middle school grounds.”
Carl Luna, a Coronado resident living nearby, called the acts “malevolent” and said that the culprits were trying to attract attention to their “twisted agenda.”
“My first reaction was, really?” said Luna. “People have nothing better to do with their lives than commit such heinous random acts of hate?”
The flyers specifically mentioned California State Bill AB 3024, which would crack down on this type of behavior, called “hate littering” by lawmakers. The bill—which is currently at Gavin Newsom’s desk, awaiting signature—would criminalize the distribution of flyers, posters, or symbols with hateful messaging targeting protected communities.
The flyer calls the bill “unconstitutional” and says it is designed to stop such groups from exposing residents to “uncomfortable truths” about the Jewish population.
The distribution of antisemitic flyers is not an isolated incident; hateful flyers targeting Jewish community members were distributed in at least eight separate incidents in San Diego in 2023, according to the creators of the bill.
“These are not just pieces of paper with words,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) in the press release promoting the proposed legislation. “These are deliberate, targeted attacks that are intended to harass and intimidate victims, dehumanizing them based on their religion, gender or sexual orientation, or other characteristic. They are being left on our windshields, in our driveways, and on our front doors. They have no place in our communities.”
According to the ADL, the U.S. Jewish community last year experienced an unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents, far exceeding any other annual tally in the past 45 years. In 2023, there were more than 8,500 incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism across the country. This represents a 140% increase from 2022, and the highest level recorded since ADL started tracking this data in 1979.
Jewish community members are also disproportionately affected by hate crimes in the U.S. According to the F.B.I., Jews make up only about 2.4% of the U.S. public, yet they account for about 60% of all religious-based hate crimes.
Coronado community members are calling for solidarity in the wake of the act of hate littering. The Jewish woman who didn’t want to be identified said that extremism on either side is “toxic” and “dangerous.”
“I think it’s really important that the community know that this is happening and we really have to stop being antagonistic with each other,” said the woman. “We really need to come together, no matter what our political views, and find some common ground … it’s time to stand up against the extremism.”
Luna called on faith and community group leaders to go out of their way to make statements on behalf of their groups condemning these actions.
“A nice, ‘We the undersigned stand in solidarity and support of of our Coronado Jewish community’ proclamation of some sort, signed by all of our community and elected leaders would be a nice step forward,” said Luna.
Local resident Kirby Barnum who makes yard signs promoting inclusivity and acceptance says she was “extremely upset” to hear about the flyers. She hopes that now, more than ever, community members will come together in unity.
“Coronado should have no place for hate or racism of any kind, and the horrible vitriol in the flyers,” said Barnum. “Hate has no place in our world.”
The Coronado Police say they are aware of the incident, and the matter is under review by their investigations team. Anyone who has any information is asked to call 619-522-7350.
