Eliza Booth happily snapped pictures with friends Tuesday night at Eastern York High School, discussing some of the highlights of the 11th District debate they'd just attended.

But while Republican incumbent Rep. Lloyd Smucker and Democratic challenger Jess King debated between 7-8 p.m. that night, somebody or some people were in the parking lot distributing fliers among the cars packing the parking lot.

Booth, who's black, and a Hispanic friend who accompanied her were seized by fear at the discovery of the flier rolled into her vehicle's door handle.

It contained undeniably racist literature about immigrants, about arming citizens with AR-15 style rifles to defend against "roaming mobs."

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The previously full parking lot was mostly empty by the time Booth and her friend left the auditorium that hosted the debate because they'd stayed and socialized an extra half-hour.

"I started reading [the fliers] and was like, 'Oh my god.' I instantly felt fear," Booth said. "I started looking around, wondering who was around. I told my friend to get in the car. I felt terrorized in that moment because I didn't know who was there, who was watching us, if there was a gun, if they would harm us because we look the way we do."

Booth hurried out of the parking lot and headed toward her home in Lancaster.

"On the way home, we were talking about the rhetoric in our political discourse today," she said. "This is how immigrants we feel are being demonized probably feel on a daily basis. We just felt really sad for our country, scared for ourselves. I have an 11-year-old black son, and it really just made me worry about the climate he's growing up in."

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Representatives from both candidates denounced the contents of the fliers.

"This flier is not associated at all with the Smucker for Congress Campaign," Smucker campaign spokesperson Mike Barley emailed to the YDR. "We did not pay or authorize it. Our campaign does not tolerate racism or violence in any way and does not approve of the messages in this flier."

From King via email from campaign spokesperson Guido Girgenti: "It's troubling to see some people fall prey to fear, but it's more troubling to see that some party leaders in D.C. are also stoking the flames to distract us and divide us before Election Day. Putting our country over party means denouncing elected officials, no matter who they are, when they try to turn us against one another for political gain. I hope Rep. Smucker will stop fear-mongering in his ads and join me in calling for an end to the politics of hate."

LancasterOnline reported from the debate that Smucker, speaking of the Central American migrant caravan working its way through Mexico, claimed it included 7,000 to 10,000 people and implied it "would be a perfect opportunity" for people who "want to harm us, want to enter our borders, who intend to harm us."

The Mexican government has estimated the size of the caravan at closer to 4,000 people, and there's been no evidence offered that it includes people whose intention is to cause harm.

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Michelle Hines, communications director for Lancaster Stands Up, a community organization that formed after the November 2016 election, wasn't in attendance but said several from her group did attend.

"We're encouraging all of our allies to really pay attention to any kind of voter intimidation and to call the Election Protection hotline" if necessary, she said. "Because we did hear from a lot of people that they felt scared and intimidated by these fliers.

"I don't know who these individuals were, don't know if they're the same people who [distributed fliers] elsewhere [in York County], what kinds of ties they have to anybody, but I definitely think nationally and locally there's a lot of this kind of language being thrown about."

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Though this was in Lower Windsor Township Police Department's jurisdiction, it's unlikely charges will be pursued or filed because of freedom of speech. Lower Windsor police could not be reached.

Police did not file charges against an individual who distributed white supremacy literature at a West Manchester Township movie theater parking lot and at homes in Dover Township, Red Lion and York over the summer.

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