Drone drops flyers with swastikas over Sacramento State bridge dinner
Flyers also dropped near the Golden 1 Center
Dominic Vitiello - The State Hornet
Flyers were dropped on both sides of the Guy West Bridge via aerial drone during Sac State’s annual Farm to Fork festival. The flyers featured anti-media propaganda, with one reading ‘Stop the press!!!’ and another featuring a black swastika on a red background.
May 3, 2019
A drone dropped flyers featuring swastikas and anti-media sentiments over Sacramento State’s annual “Bites on the Bridge” Farm-to-Fork dinner held Friday on the Guy West Bridge.
Flyers were also dropped near the Golden 1 Center on Friday, where hundreds were gathered waiting to enter the stadium for an Ariana Grande concert.
Not all of the flyers had the same design – one flyer featured several anti-media statements placed over a red X and phrases like “stop the TV whore takeover” and “the press is the enemy,” and another flyer featured a swastika.
Story continues below tweet.
Different forms of flyers were released over the event here a two different types. @TheStateHornet pic.twitter.com/g8Ua2Urreh
— Dom_V. (@Dom_Vitiello) May 4, 2019
Flyers were released on both sides of the Guy West Bridge by an aerial drone around 6:30 p.m.
Sac State President Robert Nelsen, who was at the event when the flyers dropped, said he was appalled by the messaging on the flyers and that the university hopes to “stop whoever did this.”
“Sacramento State condemns in the strongest terms the dissemination of hate speech and propaganda Friday evening at our annual fundraising dinner on the Guy West Bridge,” Nelsen said in a statement Friday night. “The anonymous act of spreading such vile material is offensive and runs counter to the principles of inclusion and diversity practiced at Sac State. It did not stop the event, nor will it slow our march toward greater understanding and commitment to the rights and safety of our campus community.”
The sold-out dinner was not interrupted by the incident, and guests continued to eat on the Guy West Bridge more than an hour after the flyers were dropped.
Story continues below tweet.
@sacstate Third annual Farm to Fork festival is underway and still growing, here at the Guy West Bridge. @TheStateHornet pic.twitter.com/w5Zrqf0Z9H
— Dom_V. (@Dom_Vitiello) May 4, 2019
The Sacramento State Police Department was notified about the incident and will handle the subsequent investigation, according to university spokesman Brian Blomster.
The Sacramento State Police Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The flyers dropped on campus include web addresses to “The Red ‘X’ Society” social media accounts, which feature anti-media posts and a link to an April video of a drone releasing flyers over the California State Capitol.
Story continues below video.
One version of the flyers dropped over campus featured “Tracy Mapes © 2018” written in the top left corner.
American River College student and Sacramento resident Tracy Mapes was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of dropping anti-media leaflets over two NFL games in Santa Clara and Oakland, the American River Current reported in 2017.
Twitter user @TracyMapes tweeted links to what appear to be overhead drone images of the State Capitol and surrounding area on Thursday.
Story continues below photo.
Twitter user @TracyMapes posted a Box link to this image on Twitter Thursday, of what appears to be an overhead drone shot of the California State Capitol. Box is a file sharing service for businesses.
The same user also tweeted photos of the flyers that fell over Sacramento on Friday.
Story continues below tweet.
Dear Billy, Do you remember the bit you did for a Jimmy Buffet Record back a long time ago about the Antennas being the Enemy? They’re back. pic.twitter.com/ePgklB2DaP
— Tracy Mapes (@TracyMapes) April 25, 2019
Mapes was a staff member on the Current, American River College’s student news organization, during the spring 2016 semester, but left after butting heads with other staff members, The Current reported in 2017. Mapes began working on a manifesto he called the “Red ‘X’ Society” sometime before his time on staff.
Additional reporting by Margherita Beale.
Layla • Jul 12, 2019 at 5:47 pm
The first amendment does not protect someone from being prosecuted for littering for committing an act such as this. Handing out fliers is one thing – you hand your flier directly to someone else who is responsible if they throw it on the ground instead of the trash. You can also freely put up fliers with pins on bulletin boards and with tape around poles and such. However, this was a drop of fliers that not only missed its’ target and mostly landed directly into the river, it also wasn’t authorized for this private paid-for event. The freedom of speech allows you to speak freely, yes; but the freedom of speech does not guarantee a right to be heard, nor does it exempt you from the consequences of your actions in situations where speech incites violence, suicide, etc or immediately results directly in littering, like this case. It is true that we need to allow people to speak on controversial things to make sure that the freedom of speech is equal to all, but we should NOT thus allow those individuals to operate above the law.
Chester Goode • Jun 10, 2019 at 11:08 am
It may not be “liked,” but it is free speech protected under (what is left of) the First Amendment.
Layla • May 8, 2019 at 10:11 pm
I wonder if this can be taken as a confession by the police regarding Mapes’ comment on here? Regardless, I hope *whoever* did this is at least prosecuted for littering – the last thing the American river needs is more human waste floating in it, as I’m sure many of these ended up in the water and around the enviornment. As someone who helps clean up the river on occasion, I’m sick of entitled people thinking they are more important than our local enviornment. The fish will not thank these people, that’s for sure.
Tracy Mapes • May 8, 2019 at 1:59 pm
Smile! It’s the Media that has taken on the Nazi stance. Ask them why they won’t tell you the Story on the Flyers? The May 3rd Leaflet Bombing expected no reaction, as the State Capitol was Bombed Several Times prior to this week. I Guess I should choose Targets with Reactionary Yuppies! Yeah! Most all May 3rd Leaflets missed their Target due to Variable Winds, So No More Lies about being “Nazi Propaganda”. https://youtu.be/OT0002b9NjI
Matthew Papke • May 8, 2019 at 1:34 am
You know it looks like they re calling the MSM Nazis here, am I missing something?
Layla • May 6, 2019 at 12:21 pm
If anyone was wondering, David Brayton is a local California white supremacist who threatens journalists. Here’s a Nov 2018 article about him: https://proclaimerscv.com/2018/11/08/white-supremacist-threatens-scv-journalist/
David Brayton • May 6, 2019 at 1:50 am
Yes the Nazis were far more inline with the democrats than any repub ever.
Layla • May 5, 2019 at 1:55 am
I have a feeling that Turning Point USA had a play in this stunt. Would not be surprised. Remember folks, swastikas are unAmerican and a symbol of hate.
#NoHateNoFear but honestly not everyone should be welcome here. Keep Nazis, white supremacists, haters of the press, and all of these general bad characters off our campus, please. Find a way, Nelson. The enemy of tolerance, is tolerance of intolerance.. true tolerance protects vulnerable groups against hate and fear incited by acts like this.