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MONROE, La (KTVE/KARD) — “I’ve talked to a few who don’t, are not for violence, they’re just for spreading what they claim to be true. But at the same time, if you influence somebody just a little bit, and they run with that, that could go any route” Hunter Bailey, Resident of West Monroe said.

Recently he was driving through the intersection of South 18th Street and Texas Avenue. At this point, he felt like he needed to say something.

The sign displays information about the religious group “Israel United In Christ” based out of Jackson, Mississippi, but it’s not about what is on the sign that’s turning heads.

IUIC is a smaller denomination of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This is due to affiliations made by those charged with hate crimes.

According ADL.org, “Another sect of Black Hebrew Israelites is Israel United In Christ. The group’s mission is to spread the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology and to educate black individuals of their true place in society. They are committed to spreading the ideology globally and recruiting as many black individuals as possible.”

This also includes individuals of Latino and Native American descent.

They state on their website, israelunite.org, “Yes, that was the past, not meant to stir up bitterness but rather a desire for Truth. Knowing the past will make us understand the future. Knowing the past according to the lord will help alleviate many things that trouble our minds.”

While this group claims they’ll be preaching their message in a non-violent way, resident shave mixed emotions about the sign being here and their presence in the Twin Cities.

“I’ve talked to a few who don’t, are not for violence, they’re just for spreading what they claim to be true” Bailey said. “Just last year you see, you saw a person who claimed to be a Hebrew Israelite, attempt to kill people who think they think are the fake Jews. Not that it matters, ultimately, whether, how the depiction of Christ is, but what does matter is getting the truth across and not spreading lies.”

NBC 10/FOX 14 tried to reach out to the ICIU Jackson office, but they were unavailable for comment.
Bailey says he is open to conversation with the group should they decide to set up a local branch here.