A homeowner in North Carolina has filed a police report against a White woman who was filmed walking to her front yard and taking a “Black Lives Matter” sign she had mounted, WSOC-TV reported.
The homeowner, identified as Melanie Larkey, was indoors when the incident occurred. She said she only became aware of what happened on her property after she took a look at the doorbell footage. Larkey subsequently reported the incident to the police.
“Surprised and unsettled are going to be the two words I’m going to use,” Larkey said.
The incident happened at the Starmount neighborhood on March 11. Per footage of the incident, an unidentified White woman is seen walking towards the front yard of a residence. She is then seen waving at the camera before making her way towards a yellow “Black Lives Matter” sign that has been mounted in front of the home.
The woman is seen removing the sign from the ground before walking away. She then enters a waiting vehicle.
“It was really unnerving. Her abrasiveness and walking into my yard and stealing something that didn’t belong to her,” said Larkey. “Then she either waved at the camera and then made some distasteful remarks when she got back to the car she was in.”
Larkey also said she was appalled someone had the nerve to get on her property and make away with the sign. But she said the incident served as an educational moment, WSOC-TV reported.
“I can’t figure out what it is about my sign that says ‘Black Lives Matter’ is so upsetting to other people. It has shown me, and a lot of the neighbors have mentioned it too, that we need a discussion about race,” Larkey.
The homeowner said she’s familiar with the vehicle in question, but she does not know the woman. The incident is being investigated by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
“Race and racial discussions in this country shouldn’t be provocative. They should be out in the open. People should be able to have a discussion about it,” Larkey said.
The homeowner has since replaced the sign, adding that she purchased it from a Black-owned online business.
