This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
A sign belonging to a white-supremacist group was allegedly found hanging on an overpass in Washington City near Exit 13 of Interstate 15 recently. The Washington City Police Department told St. George News that no other signs depicting this group’s activity had been previously found in the area.
The sign found recently promotes the organization Patriot Front, which reportedly has a growing presence throughout Utah for several years, with members hanging signs at other locations along I-15 and holding rallies at other cities. The group has alleged connections to the 2017 Unite the Right Rally of Charlottesville, Virginia, which led to violence and one person being killed at that time.
A Washington City citizen claimed to have found and removed the sign from the above-mentioned location on March 22 at approximately 3 p.m., then reported its presence to St. George News and local authorities. The citizen asked to remain anonymous for their own safety, but they did provide statements on the situation.
“I do not stand by this rhetoric and it makes the city of Washington ugly and undesirable to even live in, knowing there are hate groups looking to intimidate and scare people in our community,” they said. “The sign was huge.”
“No one was present anywhere near the overpass” when the resident found and removed the sign. They have since sent an alert to Mayor Kress Staheli who told them he had forwarded the information to Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams.
Washington City Police Public Information Officer Kory Klotz told St. George News that officers “have not had any interactions or reports of the Patriot Front in our area prior to this information.”
To read the full story, visit StGeorgeUtah.com.
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