'It’s really disheartening'; Violent, extremist messages spread in Snohomish County

SNOHOMISH, Wash. - Violent, extremist messages appeared on doorsteps around the North Sound ahead of Juneteenth.

The flyers, stuffed in baggies weighted down with corn, linked back to a 20-plus minute documentary meant to spread what’s known as the "Great Replacement Theory"—a conspiracy theory that outlines a supposed plot to diminish the influence of white people.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has raised concerns about the conspiracy theory and its use to motivate people for violent extremism.

Believers of "Great Replacement Theory" seem to be on a varying spectrum: the most racist believers have accused Jews of being behind a plot to replace white Americans, while a more mainstream version of the theory involves Democrats encouraging immigration to find like-minded voters.

Stephen Paolini, an ADL associate regional director, told FOX 13 that his group focuses less on the intrigue of the ones perpetrating the acts, and more time on debunking the conspiracy theories they utilize to attract others.

"In most cases, it’s a handful of people across a large geographic region," said Paolini. "It’s not a large number of members, but they really want the community to believe they’re bigger and more widespread than they are."

"What it is, is a call for violence. The flyer itself may not be a criminal act, but the concern is we’ll see this bubbling up—a belief in violent conspiracy theories can motivate people to take action."

"It’s really disheartening that people are trying to rally around that," said Teresa Hekker, a Snohomish resident.

Hekker’s son found the package and didn’t understand. Hekker explained to FOX 13 that her six- and eight-year-old children usually see a QR code and think it’s something fun.

In this case, she had to have a very frank conversation about why they couldn’t play with the "gift" delivered to their home.

"Definitely the stomach dropped," she said. "I thought, ‘Man, did someone think that we’d be receptive of that?’ I’m not. It’s not a fun conversation to have with kids."

According to the ADL, they had advance knowledge that extremist groups were urging people to deliver such materials ahead of Juneteenth.

They had notified a number of local law enforcement groups. However, they didn’t have specifics on when or where materials would be distributed.

The groups spreading the message may be small in number, but the damage they’ve caused can be seen through a number of mass shootings.

Ten people were killed in an attack in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York in 2022. The gunman’s online screed was littered with the same details of the "Great Replacement Theory" spread over the weekend in Snohomish County.

Other shootings ranging from a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 to a Black church in Charleston have been praised by white supremacists in these circles.

"This isn’t politics," said Paolini. "This is violent, radical conspiracy theories. They are intended to direct and encourage people to commit acts of violence… The conspiracy theory, this idea, is not a political ideology. It’s a call, or sort of belief, that society is beyond repair and the only reasonable action you can take is violence. This is not about violence. It should be about communities pushing back against hatred, bigotry and conspiracy theories, preventing violence from happening in our communities."

If there is a silver lining, it is that the initial reaction to the flyers was overwhelming negative.

According to Hekker, she received a lot of online feedback from others who had received the flyers that were similarly disgusted by it appearing on their doorsteps.

Hekker noted she didn’t want to add fuel to the message, but also had concerns over whether it was targeted.

"I wanted to know if it was an isolated incident," she said. "A lot of people have received it. I just didn’t want to further that message."

Paolini told FOX 13 that the best way to react to this type of thing is to focus on debunking conspiracy theories. Rather than ignore the messaging, it involves having conversations about why these theories are harmful, and how diversity can be a positive.

"If we don’t have a community respond to it, then we allow our neighbors, community members and loved ones buy into these false ideas."

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For more details on the "Great Replacement Theory" or the online lingo that has been utilized and spread through white supremacist groups, you can read up on extremism and the language used on the ADL website.