Flyers posted around Chicago that have the text "white only" with a noose sparked panic among residents, leading some to believe that they were being targeted for a hate crime. The flyers, however, were part of a campaign to promote a BIPOC art show.
The artist, who is black, goes by the name of Hyero. She told ABC, "racism is alive and prevalent as much as we act like it doesn't exist. I live it every day."
One concerned said in regards to the flyers that people need to "understand what a noose on anything should represent. It represents the blood of my ancestors."
The flyers also feature a QR code that linked to a website featuring the artist.
The art show features a depiction of Hyero and her sister being questioned by police. The flyers do not feature any such artwork and instead were posted outside without context.
Hyero says she understands why some are offended by the art. "I think all art should evoke some emotion. Whether that should be sadness or anger... It could just be happy," she said.
Many fell for the flyers and took them to believe that they were promoting white supremacy. One journalist tweeted, "so this was found two blocks away from my house. Any fellow Hyde Parkers see this today? Working on a story."
The post received hundreds of replies. Some said that the posters were promoting hatefulness. Others demanded that nearby security cameras be checked to find a suspect.
The article by journalist Jamie Nesbitt Golden clarifies that the artist is black.
"I really felt like a message really needed to be sent to white communities that Black people can’t just exist for the sake of not being political,” Hyero told Golden. "Being a Black woman and knowing I’m going to be political by default, I decided to use my platform to try to educate and show the white experience through my African-American eyes."
Some members of the neighborhood condemned the artist for the flyers after learning of their purpose.
"Publicity stunts like this hinge on a narrative that the feelings, concerns and fears of Black Chicagoans don’t matter, that we’re somehow supposed to be tough enough not only to ignore our own history but provide cover for people who are too cowardly to return to the towns they are from and confront the people who hurt them on their home turf,” Mikki Kendall told Golden.
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