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Racist posters in parts of Phila. deemed legal

Racist posters put up in Port Richmond and Northeast Philadelphia were "repugnant," but still legal, the city's Commission on Human Relations said yesterday.

Racist posters put up in Port Richmond and Northeast Philadelphia were "repugnant," but still legal, the city's Commission on Human Relations said yesterday.

The poster features a photo of slain Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, who was killed while trying to apprehend bank robbers earlier this month in Port Richmond.

The poster also shows three other white Philadelphia police officers killed in the line of duty, and the three black men charged in their deaths. It reads: "Guns don't kill people. Dangerous minorities do. How much longer can you ignore this?"

A local group calling itself the Keystone State Skinheads took credit for the posters.

"While we find their message of hate to be repugnant and their attempt to connect their motives and message to the death of Sgt. Liczbinski even more disgraceful, we live in a country that allows for certain freedoms of expression," the commission stated in a news release yesterday. "At present, it appears that this group has not broken any laws."

Mayor Nutter had asked the commission to investigate the posters. The commission said it would continue to monitor the group for illegal activities.

The commission encourages residents to report suspected hate crimes by calling 215-686-4670 or e-mailing faqpchr@phila.gov.