Ku Klux Klan recruitment flyers reportedly found in New York

PURPORTED Ku Klux Klan recruitment flyers are being handed out in New York, referencing the recent shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer.

The leaflets, which appeared to be from the North Carolina-based Loyal Knights of the KKK, were found on Sunday in the Long Island communities of West Babylon and Shirley, Newsday reports.

Police said the promotional material included “racist messages” and referenced Michael Brown, the 18-year-old whose shooting death in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked weeks of protests around the US.

The flyer also listed a website and a phone number, cops said.

Many residents, who woke to find the leaflets in their letterboxes, were disgusted.

“I don’t understand why anyone would in this day and age be even thinking in those terms,” one woman told WCBS. “I’m furious about it, I think it’s ridiculous.”

The apparent recruitment drive comes after similar material was found in the Hamptons, around 80 kilometres to the east, in July and August.

Police are investigating whether the same person or group is responsible for the latest flyers, according to Newsday.