Virginia cops harass family farm over ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign, spark backlash instead
The Fairfax Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, a local police union in Virginia, was upset over a "Black Lives Matter" sign at a family farm and tried to organize a boycott of the farm. Instead, they only sparked a gigantic backlash.
The Fairfax Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, a local police union in Virginia, was upset over a “Black Lives Matter” sign at a family farm and tried to organize a boycott of the farm. Instead, they only sparked a gigantic backlash.
The sign, which police mistakenly believed was posted by Cox Farms but was instead posted in a family residence near the farm, was “disturbing and disappointing,” the FOP said in a Facebook post.
“This is a time in which law enforcement is the target for criticism for almost everything they do and officers are constantly questioned by the public and the media without the benefit of all the facts,” the post, which has since been deleted, read. “The presence of this sign at Cox’s Farms helps perpetuate this kind of behavior and judgment. I know you have heard it about a million times but the truth is that ‘All Lives Matter.’”
Gina Cox, who owns Cox Farms, said that the sign was posted by her daughter and that it was within her right to do so.
“It’s her private property and she can put up any political sign she wants to in her yard,” she told WUSA. “We treasure our relationship with our local police force, it’s not anything against them at all.”
Anti-police brutality activists have since accused the FOP of bullying.
“The Facebook post they made, which was removed because of the unprecedented public outrage towards their attempt to bully a local landmark and beloved destination, further reinforces the lack of trust in the Fairfax County Police Department,” said Mike Curtis of the organization CopBlock.
Brad Carruthers, FOP president, has since said that the post was taken down because it was the “wiser course of action.”
Check out the Cox family’s brilliant response to the controversy here.
