Man Takes 'Black Lives Matter' Sign From Yard, Leaves Smeared With Feces on Porch
A man was recently caught on camera taking a Black Lives Matter sign from a neighbor's yard in North Carolina and leaving it on the porch smeared with feces.
The Holly Springs Police Department said in a Facebook post that the incident occurred on July 8 at around 1 a.m. local time "on the 500 block of Wellspring Drive in the Bridgewater subdivision." The incident was captured on the home's doorbell camera and posted to Facebook by police.
In the video, the man can be seen walking up to the front door of a home carrying the sign. He then appears to reach for another object on the home's porch and kneels down as he uses the object to smear the feces on the sign.
"Police are investigating a case of vandalism in which a Black Lives Matter sign was taken from a homeowner's front lawn garden and left on the front porch smeared with feces," police said in the Facebook post.
Police said they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
The Holly Springs Police Department described the man as a "taller white male" with red/auburn colored hair with sideburns and a full beard. He weighed approximately 250 to 300 pounds, according to police.
The Holly Springs Police Department is asking for help from the public in identifying the man.
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"Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Ottaway at (919) 567-4709 or (919) 201-2691 or email her at melissa.ottaway@hollyspringsnc.gov," the Facebook post said.
The homeowner told WRAL in North Carolina that the defaced sign was the first thing he saw when he opened his front door the next morning. The homeowner did not want to be identified or shown on camera but told WRAL that he is the only Black man on the street and has never experienced an incident like this before.
One of the homeowner's neighbors, David Ngo, spoke to WRAL and said that he was shocked to find out what happened.
"It's a super-cowardly act, that's for sure," Ngo told WRAL. "As Americans, we still try to hide the fact that there's a terrible history that comes with racism...it's still alive and well."
Ngo's wife also told WRAL that she plans to order more Black Lives Matter signs in response to the incident.
"When it took place, we were actually on the phone talking about it, and I was like, 'You know what? Let's order,'" she said according to WRAL. "We actually wanted to order like 20 [signs] and line them up everywhere."
Newsweek reached out to the Holly Springs Police Department for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
