A New York state senator issued a warning to residents of suburban Nassau County about a letter that falsely claims the government is looking for “minorities to experiment on” with the coronavirus vaccines.
The letter was taped to the doors of dozens of homes on the North Shore of Long Island on Saturday, state Sen. Anna Kaplan said in a press release that included a redacted copy of the full letter.
“Parents who will be sending their children to school this fall should be mindful of any and all documents or waivers they’re asked to sign,” the top portion of the letter reads. “In a rush to find a vaccine for the COVID-19 or Corona Virus, the government is looking for minorities to experiment on.”
The bottom half of the letter falsely claims that by participating in certain programs for children, parents could be signing their child up “for something that will be extremely harmful to them.”
Kaplan slammed the misinformation in the letter as dangerous.
“I’m absolutely disgusted that some coward would spend their time trying to scare parents with anonymous notes like this full of lies and conspiracy theories,” she said in a statement. “There is absolutely no excuse for spreading misinformation and fear here in our community at a time when Nassau residents are doing their best just to get by during these incredibly challenging times.
Residents in Manhasset said the letter appears to be targeting low-income parents, according to NBC New York.
“It’s unfortunate because they’re probably going through a lot right now so I think as a community as a unit we all need to come together,” resident Lexie Peterka told the outlet.
Police are looking into the letters but, so far, have no leads, NBC New York reported. The Nassau County Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday morning.
