Mysterious Anti-Semitic Fliers Emerge in Oakland

Anti-Semitic fliers showing a swastika drawn on a Jewish councilwoman's forehead were found plastered in Oakland, Calif., over the weekend.

Posted throughout the Montclair district, an area represented by Councilwoman Libby Schaaf, the fliers read "Stop Schaaf. Stop the DAC." A black and white image of the politician with the symbol on her head accompanied the text.

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, DAC is an acronym for "domain awareness center," a controversial government surveillance initiative planned by Oakland officials.

"As a person of Jewish heritage I found this particularly hurtful. As an Oaklander I found it shameful," Schaaf told the Contra Costa Times. "I have throughout the project expressed serious concern. So I am surprised that I have been targeted with this particular issue."

Schaaf, who is set to run for mayor in November, has been critical of the project, though she ultimately voted in favor of its approval.

The domain awareness center -- an effort to possibly link cameras from around the city to collect data using license plate readers, social media feeds and other tools -- is set to be operational in July 2014. The stated goal is to provide an around-the-clock mechanism for monitoring and responding to emergencies in Oakland, according to the Oakland North news project at the University of California, Berkeley.

Proponents say the center will help authorities solve crimes and keep citizens safe, but opponents cite privacy concerns.

KGO-TV reported that police are looking into the fliers to assess whether they should be considered hate speech.

(H/T: JTA)

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Featured image via KGO-TV