State police investigate hateful and racist letters left at Connecticut homes

The anonymous letter was riddled with profanity and shared racist remarks.

When Larry Groh Jr. walked outside of his Thompson home Tuesday morning and saw a letter on his lawn, he said his stomach dropped.

"I feel sick," said Groh Jr. "Sick and disgusted that this is happening."

The three-page letter, wrapped in a plastic bag with a rock and tied together with a bow, started showing up outside of Thompson homes Monday night. Riddled with profanity and containing racist remarks, the letter is now being investigated by the Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Unit.

“This is not what Thompson is about. Thompson is not about hate. Thompson is not about racism in any way, shape or form. This is just totally unacceptable," said Groh Jr.

The letter is mostly incoherent, but does reference the names of several Thompson residents. Groh Jr., a former first selectman in town, was referenced along with his family members.

"The only thing we love more than our community is our family," said Groh Jr. “I want to see justice. I want to see the people that were involved held accountable.”

Thompson's current first selectman, Amy St. Onge, also received a letter at her home Tuesday morning. She immediately handed it over to police without opening it, but did end up reading the letter later in the week.

"It made you feel sick," said St. Onge. "It was a disgusting letter and it didn’t achieve any real purpose except for to spread hate.”

St. Onge said that she heard from several other public officials in town who also received the letter. She was initially told that at least 100 homes received a letter.

The letter referenced specific points in Thompson's history.

"Some of the comments dated back to even the 1955 flood so clearly it was an individual who knows the town and has been in the town for quite a while," said St. Onge.

It was sent one week before a scheduled budget referendum in Thompson. Town leaders say whatever message the sender was hoping to get across was totally lost.

"The only thing that came across was hate," St. Onge, who added that the letter goes against what Thompson is about. "Because we are a people that love our community and we work very well together.”

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz released a statement in response to the hate-filled, racist letter.

"I have personally spoken with Connecticut State Police Colonel Stavros Mellekas to ensure that this potential hate crime is fully investigated and handled with the attention it deserves. We must make it clear that this kind of hate has no home here in Connecticut," Bysiewicz said in the statement.

The CSP Hate Crimes Unit was formed last year, but in that short time, they have seen an increase in the number of hate-filled messages and fliers showing up in Connecticut towns.

"We take these cases very seriously," said Detective Alvin Chen with the CSP Hate Crimes Unit.

Chen said that home surveillance video, including doorbell camera video, is usually very helpful in investigating incidents like this.

While police work to determine who is behind the letter, people in Thompson are coming together to show unity.

“There are democrats and republicans that were targeted in that letter so it went across party lines and now republicans, democrats, unaffiliateds, people are coming together as a community against this hate," said Groh Jr.

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