A family in Lake Oswego, Oregon, painted a Black Lives Matter sign outside their home, prompting neighbors to send them a letter asking them to remove it as it is bringing down property values in the neighborhood.
Twitter user Divya (@pivyak) took to the micro-blogging platform to share that her younger sister painted a BLM sign on the front window of their house to express solidarity with the racial injustice.
"My younger sister painted a sign on the front window of our house to show our support of the #BLM movement, and was sent this in the mail from one of our neighbors," she captioned images of the sign, which read "Silence Supports Police Violence," and the letter her family received from their neighbors.
'Your Sign is Driving Down Interest to Live on This Street'
"Dear Neighbor, we, your neighbors, appreciate that you have a strong political and social injustice viewpoint and wish to communicate that to others via your window sign. The first amendment gives you that right. We believe you've made your point," the letter reads.
The letter then points out that there are three homes on the street that are up for sale and are trying to be sold for the best price. However, the letter claims their Black Lives Matter sign is bringing down the market value of the houses. "Your sign is driving down interest to live on this street, hence our property values suffer (including yours)," the neighbors note in the letter.
'Save Your Political Views For Your Home'
The neighbors then ask Divya and her family to remove the sign and "save your political viewpoint for inside your home."
"Homes are not made to be build boards [sic] for our opinions, they are a place for families to rest, enjoy life and feel safe. Thank you in advance for caring enough about the people you live side by side (especially with different viewpoints) by removing your sign."
Read the full letter below:
Social Media Reactions
Divya's post sparked outrage on Twitter with many calling out her neighbors over their "racist" letter. "It really baffles me how the term Black Lives Matter is extremely offensive to some," wrote one user. "I thought by now they would be more understanding for what it stands for."
"It's time to put a sign on another window," commented another. "Maybe a sign on the grass too. Maybe even plant marigolds in the garden in the shape of BLM. The new people need to know they are moving into a good neighborhood where racism isn't tolerated.
"I'm honestly flabbergasted by this letter from the neighbors," said a third user. "It looks to be possibly from a realtor, given the reference to property in the neighborhood. However, the circulation of this letter just shows the opposition people still face over systemic racism."
Lake Oswego is known as a wealthy suburb of Portland and is notorious for its history of racism against people of color and was also the subject of a documentary film called "Lake No Negro," the nickname given to the city for its recognition as an elite white suburb
