Flyers promoting a Ku Klux Klan rally in Daniel Boone National Forest have been found in Midwestern cities, according to social media posts and a report from the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The flyer advertises a gathering of the Trinity White Knights, one of the remaining splinter groups of the Klan in the U.S.
“Sometimes groups like the Klan have really focused on pushing the envelope in hopes that these ideas will become more acceptable during politically kind of talkative times, like election cycles,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, deputy director for research, reporting and analysis for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s intelligence project. “So they'll use issues like immigration or economics to again blame particular communities.”
According to the SPLC, which tracks hate groups nationwide, flyering is one of the most common tactics for such groups. It says it’s mostly for intimidation.
“We know that there really is just a small handful of folks for each one of these groups, but they are attempting to look bigger than they are,” Carroll Rivas said. “One person can put up a lot of flyers, and so I think that's just really important to know. It's not okay. It's dangerous at the end of the day. These ideas are harmful, but it does represent a very small minority.”
The SPLC documents thousands of flyering incidents each year, mostly by the Patriot Front.
This is not the first recent flyering in the state. KKK flyers were spotted in Lexington in January, ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Others were found in Frankfort and Midway in October 2025.
Carroll Rivas says it’s important to research what hate symbols and language look like, document and remove them, and contact community leaders and authorities.
“That includes, of course, advocacy organizations, civil rights groups in your community, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and if appropriate, we also encourage people to contact their local law enforcement and letting them know there may or may not be anything legally they can do, but it's important that they are responsive to the concerns of the community.”
US Forest Service investigates advertised rally
It’s not clear whether the gathering advertised in the latest flyering is actually taking place or where in the forest it would be held.
A spokesperson from the U.S. Forest Service says Daniel Boone National Forest is aware of the flyers, and the service requires a special permit for any activity on federal lands involving more than 75 people. So far, no one has approached the forest to hold such an event.
Flyers for a similar event also circulated online last year, but the USFS was unable to confirm whether it took place.
Forest Service law enforcement is also investigating reports of the event.
