City of Ferndale resolution denouncing white supremacists carried hidden message

FERNDALE, Wash. — A Seattle television news crew made the trip to Ferndale to be at last night’s regular City Council meeting and a hidden message within a resolution on the agenda that denounces white supremacists “caught their eye.”

KING 5 News reported about the City of Ferndale’s resolution and interviewed councilmember Rebecca Xczar, who is also a candidate for the position of County Assessor. They reported Xczar wrote the resolution with assistance from city staff. Their interview revealed the resolution contained a hidden 2-word message.

The version of the resolution presented to council committee members Wednesday morning contained the 2-word message, “F#$% Nazis” (without the mask of special characters provided here). The message was visible by taking the first letter of the second word in 9 sequential paragraphs in the text of the resolution. The version provided to the full council at last night’s meeting was edited to change the second letter in the first word from U to O.

When asked about the hidden message on camera, Xczar said, “It was not something I realized initially, which is why it has been changed since the original version.” Later in the interview she clarified, “It was funny at first, but we changed it. It is a very serious topic and we didn’t want that to detract in any way.”

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The resolution was adopted by an unanimous vote of the council.

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