The morning after a Black Lives Matter vigil in Jamaica Plain, the neighborhood woke up to at least one case of vandalism outside a local church on Thursday.
An administrative manager for the Hope Central Church confirmed to Metro that a sign reading “Black Lives Matter” had been the target of vandalism.
The word “black” on the poster has been covered over with blue paint.
RELATED: Video: Black Lives Matter arrives at New York Fashion Week Several other cases of vandalism involving Black Lives Matter signs have included painting over or scribbling out “black,” sometimes replacing the word with “all,” invoking the message voiced by those opposed to the BLM movement: “All Lives Matter.” BLM signs outside the First Baptist Church, also in Jamaica Plain, were ripped down twice last year. This morning’s incident came after the third installment of monthly Black Lives Matter vigils outside First Baptist. “It’s just proof again that we need people to stand up and stand out and kind of reclaim the space for black lives,” Ann Philbin, vigil organizer, told Metro.
Similar cases of vandalism were also reported in Arlington last year. Philbin said she hadn’t heard about the vandalism, but that the community would likely hold some kind of event in response to the incident.
RELATED: The Riot Theater in Jamaica Plain is inviting stand-up virgins to their stage Asked to respond to the “All Lives Matter” idea, Philbin said the notion misses the point BLM is trying to make about race in America.
“When I personally hear someone say ‘All Lives Matter,’ I feel like that person is either ignorant or in denial about white privilege in our society —acting as if our lives all start in equal places and as if our lives are valued equally, and they’re not.” JP resident Margaret Zamos-Monteith, who tweeted a photo of the banner Thursday morning, told Metro she didn’t expect to see that kind of vandalism in her neighborhood.
“It’s so dismaying, especially in JP,” she said. “You think this is a progressive neighbrhood, that this is a place where people do care about and get the cause.”
Do they vandalize cancer awareness signs w/ all diseases matter? So shameful #blacklivesmatter #jamaicaplain #racism pic.twitter.com/jQzi7gb6ht
— Marg Zamos-Monteith (@MZamosMonteith) February 11, 2016
