Neo-Nazis in Coronado? CPD Investigates Anti-Semitic Flyers on Vehicles Near Coronado Schools

On Wednesday morning, Coronado residents were shocked to find anti-Semitic flyers plastered on the windshields of vehicles parked at Coronado Middle School and Village Elementary School. According to Coronado police, dozens of 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 stated that the authors were “fighting for the future of white Americans.” The flyers were headlined “California’s Jewish Mafia” and claimed that the Jewish population “has hijacked our country’s most important institutions for profit,” and referred to the “treacherous, Zionist-occupied government.”

Local residents reacted with shock and anger.

“I was just shaking,” said a Jewish woman from Coronado who did not want to give her name. “And the fact that they were all outside the high school… it kind of broke me.”

According to social media reports, at least two people were filmed after 10 p.m. putting flyers under windshield wipers. One was wearing a jacket with some sort of badge or insignia, and the other was wearing a dark hoodie.

The flyers feature the name “Clockwork Crew,” which is described as a “fitness-oriented, neo-Nazi group” based in Southern California, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The flyers also feature the group’s insignia.

“As a Coronado resident and a mother who is Jewish, I have to explain this to my child. This just sucks,” said the woman, whose son attends CMS. “I mean, a minority group was attacked right on our high school grounds.”

Carl Luna, a Coronado resident who lives nearby, called the acts “evil” and said the perpetrators were trying to draw attention to their “twisted agenda.”

“My first reaction was, really?” Luna said. “People have nothing better to do with their lives than commit such horrible random acts of hate?”

The flyers specifically mentioned California State Bill AB 3024, which would crack down on this type of behavior, which lawmakers have dubbed “hate littering.” The bill, currently on Gavin Newsom’s desk awaiting signature, would criminalize the distribution of flyers, posters or symbols with hateful messages that target protected communities.

The flyer calls the bill “unconstitutional” and says it is designed to prevent such groups from exposing residents to “inconvenient truths” about the Jewish population.

The distribution of anti-Semitic flyers is not an isolated incident. According to the law’s drafters, hateful flyers targeting members of the Jewish community were distributed in at least eight separate incidents in San Diego in 2023.

“These are not just pieces of paper with words on them,” Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) said in the press release promoting the proposed legislation. “These are intentional, targeted attacks designed to harass and intimidate victims, to dehumanize them based on their religion, gender or sexual orientation, or other characteristics. They are left on our windshields, in our driveways, and on our front doors. They have no place in our communities.”

According to the ADL, the American Jewish community experienced an unprecedented increase in anti-Semitic incidents last year, far exceeding any other annual count in the past 45 years. In 2023, there were more than 8,500 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism nationwide, a 140% increase from 2022 and the highest level recorded since the ADL began keeping records in 1979.

Members of the Jewish community are also disproportionately affected by hate crimes in the U.S. According to the FBI, Jews make up only 2.4% of the U.S. population, but they are responsible for approximately 60% of all religiously-related hate crimes.

Coronado community members are calling for solidarity after the act of hate speech. The Jewish woman, who did not want to be named, said extremism on both sides is “toxic” and “dangerous.”

“I think it’s really important that the community knows that this is happening and that we really need to stop being hostile to each other,” the woman said. “We really need to come together, regardless of our political views, and find common ground … it’s time to stand up to extremism.”

Luna called on leaders of faith and community groups to issue statements on behalf of their groups condemning these actions.

“A beautiful proclamation like, ‘We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity and support of our Jewish community in Coronado,’ signed by our entire community and elected leaders, would be a beautiful step forward,” Luna said.

Local resident Kirby Barnum, who makes yard signs to promote inclusivity and acceptance, says she was “extremely upset” when she heard 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,” Barnum said. “Hate has no place in our world.”

Coronado Police say they are aware of the incident and their investigation team is looking into the matter. Anyone with information is asked to call 619-522-7350.