Racist Letter With Coronavirus Misinformation Found Taped to Homes in Long Island

In recent months it’s felt like racists have been on a letter-writing campaign. If it’s not sending anonymous letters to families with Black Lives Matter signs in front of their homes, it’s spreading coronavirus misinformation.

NBC News reports that multiple residents of the North Shore neighborhood in Long Island have reported finding letters taped to their doors claiming that the government is searching for non-white people to use as test subjects for a coronavirus vaccine. “Parents who will be sending their children to school this fall should be mindful of any and all documents or waivers they’re asked to sign,” the letter reads. “In a rush to find a vaccine for the COVID-19 or Corona Virus, the government is looking for minorities to experiment on.”

The letter goes on to state that parents could potentially be subjecting their children to “something that will be extremely harmful to them,” by signing them up for certain school programs. State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D) included a redacted copy of the letter in a statement condemning the misinformation.

“I’m absolutely disgusted that some coward would spend their time trying to scare parents with anonymous notes like this full of lies and conspiracy theories,” she wrote. “There is absolutely no excuse for spreading misinformation and fear here in our community at a time when Nassau residents are doing their best just to get by during these incredibly challenging times.”

Kaplan has asked the Nassau County police to investigate the letters. They currently have no leads where they may be originating from.

Community members in Manhasset told NBC New York that they were upset to see that the letters were targeted at low-income parents. “It’s unfortunate because they’re probably going through a lot right now so I think as a community as a unit we all need to come together,” resident Lexie Peterka told the outlet,

Unfortunately, this is only the latest incidence of racism to occur on Long Island. In July, a Black woman who lives in Nassau County garnered national attention after posting a letter on her front door outlining how her white neighbors had continually harassed her since she moved in.