‘We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community:’ Antisemitic material distributed in Daytona Beach, police say

Chief Jakari Young denounced the hate in a Facebook message

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Daytona Beach Police Department released a statement from Chief Jakari Young on Sunday denouncing recent antisemitic propaganda being distributed throughout the city.

According to the release, Chief Young said the department opened an investigation into the incident, although did not provide specifics on when or where the material was distributed.

The statement read in part, “The person responsible for distributing this material want to promote fear, hatred and division! We strongly denounce and form of hate or discrimination toward any individual or community.”

Chief Young asked residents if they have any information or video footage that can assist in their investigation, to contact Sgt. Tim Ehrenkaufer at EhrenkauferTim@dbpd.us.

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In a separate news release on Sunday, Daytona Beach police said that there was an “influx of First Amendment Auditors” in the area displaying antisemitic messages from the top of the pedestrian bridge on International Speedway Boulevard.

The statement said the individuals tried to bait the officers into violating their rights, in hopes of “acquiring justification” for a lawsuit.

Earlier Sunday, News 6 reported that Ormond Beach police Chief Jesse Godfrey called for civilians to help the department get to the bottom of recent distributions of antisemitic propaganda in their city.

This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for updates.


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About the Author

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.