In mid-October, racially charged graffiti reading "KKK Bitch" began appearing on cars, homes, and telephone poles in Kokomo, Indiana. Many of the victims, including Peters, were African American, though some were not. Several of the targeted homes had Democratic candidate signs that were painted over with the Ku Klux Klan's initials. Peters believes that the divisive nature of the presidential campaign, particularly the nativist rhetoric of Republican candidate Donald Trump, has emboldened extremists to commit such acts. She expressed concern that when political figures make ignorant statements, it may give others the impression that such behavior is acceptable, which is deeply troubling. Our nation appears to be regressing, as police have no leads on the attacks. Democrats suspect political motives, while local Republicans are doubtful and believe the perpetrators to be unruly troublemakers. The divisive political rhetoric is spreading across the country, polarizing the public, though the exact impact is difficult to measure without national data on politically motivated crimes or inflammatory speech. The percentage of voters who believe it is acceptable to insult political opponents has increased from 30 percent in March to 43 percent in October, according to surveys conducted by the non-partisan Pew Research Center. A majority of voters from both parties have strong negative views of the other party for the first time since 1992, and trust in the government is at a near all-time low. These trends indicate tensions between different groups that can lead to anything from rude conversations to extremist actions, according to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. While much of the hostility has been directed towards immigrants, African Americans, and other groups typically associated with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Republicans have also faced criticism. The focus of the discussion on extremism has largely been on the Alt-Right, a loosely connected group of white nationalists, anti-Semites, and immigration opponents who have come out of the shadows to support the Trump campaign. A person who supports the Ku Klux Klan was observed displaying his tattoos at a rally at the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina on July 18, 2015. Trump's promises to construct a border wall, expel millions of undocumented immigrants, and investigate Muslims for connections to terrorism have motivated the Alt-Right group. Michael Hill, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, anti-Semite, and xenophobe who leads the League of the South, a "Southern Nationalist" group aiming to establish a separate "white man's land," stated that the rhetoric surrounding the Alt-Right has justified their concerns about the decline of the country's white, Christian majority. Hill believes that the political atmosphere surrounding certain campaigns has been beneficial not only for his group but also for other right-wing organizations. Similar nationalist sentiments have emerged in various countries such as Russia, Japan, and Britain, where a pro-EU lawmaker, Jo Cox, was tragically killed during the Brexit debate. There have been reports of political hostility, vandalism, and violence in the United States as well, including incidents like the burning of a black church in Mississippi with "Vote Trump" painted on it, the arson of a county Republican office in North Carolina, and the dumping of manure at a Democratic campaign office in Ohio. In Utah, a man who had Trump yard signs on display discovered KKK graffiti on his car. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, a college football fan wore a President Barack Obama mask with a noose around his neck. Both the Trump and Clinton campaigns did not respond to requests for comment. According to white nationalist Jared Taylor, Trump's views align with the Alt-Right's goal of "slowing the dispossession of whites." However, Taylor believes the media is exaggerating Trump's support within the Alt-Right in order to undermine him. Trump has faced criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans for being slow to denounce extreme elements of the political right. However, when a prominent KKK newspaper published a favorable article about him, his campaign quickly rejected it as "repulsive." Alt-Right figures like Taylor and Hill deny advocating for violence or vandalism and argue that their rhetoric is not hate speech. They claim that they are unfairly vilified by the left. Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center points out that left-wing extremists have a history of aggressive confrontation with groups they view as fascist or racist. She stated that typically, anti-racists are more violent than racists. The First Amendment of the US Constitution provides extensive protection for inflammatory speech, but state and federal laws allow law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes motivated by bias. Last year, California State University researchers reported a 6 percent increase in hate crimes, with a significant rise of 86 percent in crimes against Muslims. Some individuals who are involved in politics and academia believe that there has been a gradual decline in civility that predates the current presidential campaign. Craig Dunn, the Republican party chairman for Howard County, Indiana, which encompasses Kokomo, argues that a small number of extreme voices are being magnified through the Internet and social media, leading to a general breakdown in politeness. Local leaders are concerned about the impact on their community. Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight, a Democrat, notes that the atmosphere has become more tense and volatile, with incidents like graffiti attacks causing alarm. Monica Fowler, 43, who had her Democratic yard signs vandalized with the letters "KKK," is struggling to cope with the violence. She states that it is acceptable to have differing opinions, but if your actions will cause fear or harm to someone else, you have no right to do so.