DURHAM, N.C. — It's known as a quiet neighborhood in East Durham. But after some homeowners opened their mailboxes Tuesday, neighbors started talking.

"Just couldn't believe it," said homeowner James Blackwell. "You hear about things like this happening, but you don't believe that it is happening and possible."

The hate mail tells the recipients their property has been put on the market for sale. It says in derogatory terms that blacks, Hispanics and northerners are "destroying our land." It goes on to say that the company Wood Smiley Realty strives for "southern White Supremacy."

"We pay our taxes, this is our property," said Blackwell. "Nobody should bother us."

Durham police are looking into the return name and address on the letter.

"Usually when people do things like this, they do it under a disguise of another name, and usually the address is a fake," said Cpl. David Addison of the Durham Police Department.

When WRAL went to the address to find out, Jimmy Lee Woods said he couldn't understand why someone would put his and his brother Earl's names on the hate mail. But like everyone else in the neighborhood, he said he hopes the culprits are caught.

Jimmy Lee and Earl Woods both said that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Four years ago, they said, they received a letter saying one of the brothers' homes was being put on the market against his will and that it was time for him to "pay for his sins." There is no word on whether the two incidents are related.