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.”
Cox
Family Response re: Black Lives Matter Sign/Fairfax FOP Boycott
October 15, 2015 at 12:31pm
Below is a response provided by
the Cox Family regarding the recent controversy about the Black Lives Matter
sign displayed in the window of a residence there:
Cox Farms hosts a Fall Festival
every year at our farm in Centreville, VA. We spend all year eagerly preparing
for these few weeks each fall, and we love opening our farm to celebrate the
season with our community.
Recently, several individuals as
well as the Fairfax County Fraternal Order of Police have called for a boycott
of our farm, insisting that we are, in their words, anti-police supporters of a
terrorist organization that advocates killing police officers. (While the FOP
deleted their original Facebook post, you can read it here:
https://twitter.com/MolaReports/status/654511007692365825/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
and the full comments
here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByARN1OT9G_2TWFsUi1IaGE3TDQ/view
They have come to this conclusion
because one of us (there are five owners of our business; the two founders and
their three adult children) has a “Black Lives Matter” sign displayed in an
upstairs window of their private residence. The home is on a separate property
that is not owned by Cox Farms, but it is very visible to visitors entering the
Fall Festival.
We have always believed that we
had a very positive relationship with our local police department. We have
contracted FCPD officers to provide security for our festival for over a
decade. We have supported their fundraising efforts, donated to their Police
Unity tour, employed their children, and offered discounts to officers on our
Public Servants Weekends. Neither our family nor our business is anti-cop, and
we are absolutely anti-violence, against anyone. For this reason, we were
especially surprised that the FOP and so many local officers jumped on the call
to boycott our business and make such hateful accusations against us via social
media.
Black Lives Matter. As a family,
we believe that Black lives matter, and we find it alarming that the statement
incites such a backlash. Neither our sign nor the Black Lives Matter movement
says that ONLY Black lives matter, or that Black lives matter more than anyone
else, and the sign certainly doesn’t say anything about police officers. When
you’re putting out a house fire, it doesn’t mean that you only care about that
one house that’s burning; it just means you’re addressing the crisis at hand.
Folks dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer aren’t saying that all
other cancers are unimportant. Our family recognizes that all lives are
important, and because we believe that, we know that Black lives matter.
Valuing Black lives and
respecting the lives and work of police officers are not mutually exclusive.
Knowing and respecting as many FCPD officers as we do, we’re confident that
many on our local police force know and understand this too; after all, how can
they serve and protect all members of our community if they do not believe that
Black lives matter? We also know that the threatening comments on the original
FOB Facebook post (those referencing throwing a brick through the window of our
home, or the ones implying that perhaps the police might not respond to
emergency calls for help) do not reflect the values and work ethic of the
Fairfax County police officers we know and respect.
Most of the people who are really
mad about the sign are so offended because they believe the sign message is a
direct attack on police officers. Yes, we have read the Black Lives Matter
manifesto. From their website: “#BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where
Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for
demise.” That statement is absolutely in line with our family values. As a
family, we are anti-racist and pro-justice. We recognize that systemic racism
is real, and we embrace our roles as allies working to dismantle it.
At this point, when completely
mainstream presidential candidates openly embrace Black Lives Matter as a
legitimate organization and a crucial voice in the conversation about racial
justice and racism in this country, it was shocking to us to see the vitriol
expressed about the sign in our family’s window. Is this some radical
declaration from Cox Farms? No. Is the Cox family endorsing killing police
officers? Of course not, and if you read anything from the actual organization,
neither is Black Lives Matter.
Are there some folks on the
fringe who are so angry at the state of racism and disregard for Black lives in
this country that they were chanting violent words in heated emotional moments
of protesting? Yes, that happened. But are there individual police officers who
have unjustifiably killed innocent Black people? Yes, that has happened, too.
These are both truths in a complicated conversation about race and violence and
racial justice.
As a family, we embrace
complicated conversation; growing up, it was part of our family dinners every
night. We encourage anyone who actually wants to join a dialogue about the sign
or the movement to start by reviewing information directly from the source: you
can read what Black Lives Matter is actually about here.
About fifteen years ago, some
visitors started a boycott of our Fall Festival because we flew rainbow flags
over our hay tunnel, and they were concerned that Cox Farms was “promoting the
homosexual agenda.” Our business has continued to grow, and our rainbow flags
are still flying.
As a family, we know that when
you’re on the right side of history, love wins. Right now, it means that some
people in our community no longer feel comfortable supporting our business, and
we respect that. We realize that some police officers no longer feel welcome at
our business, and to them, we extend an invitation to dialogue with us about
that, or to just come and play with their families. We’re a really fun and
welcoming place, and it looks like a great weekend to play at the Fall
Festival!
