Amherst Police Investigate Racist Letters Distributed Across Town Vehicles
Police in Amherst are investigating a series of racist and hateful letters discovered on residents’ vehicles on 29 April, after officials confirmed the correspondence targeted the Black and African American community and was signed by an unidentified organisation.
Letters Signed by Unknown Group
The letters were addressed to “Amherst Residents” and bore the name “Advancement of American Civilization” — a group that neither town staff nor national organisations specialising in tracking hate groups have been able to identify.
Town officials stated they were “not able to locate any group associated with the name of the organisation,” and that no information has so far been gathered to identify the source of the letters.
Limited Scope of Investigation
Police spoke to approximately seven recipients following the incident; no further recipients came forward to report the letters. The town did not publish the full contents of the correspondence in its public statement.
Authorities confirmed the incident does not meet the legal threshold for a hate crime under either federal or state law, though an investigation remains ongoing.
Town Condemns Content of Letters
The town of Amherst issued a formal statement condemning the letters. “Harm has been felt through the community, and it will not be ignored,” officials wrote on the town’s official Facebook page.
“We condemn the racist and outright inaccurate statements made within the letter regarding Black people or those of African descent,” the statement continued, adding that the sentiments expressed “do not reflect the values of our Town.”
The Amherst Police Department had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.