Police in Long Island say their hate
crimes division is investigating an anonymous note sent to a Black
mother and her family asking them to move out and leave the community.
The reason? According to the letter’s
author, Darcell Copes and her children ‘don’t belong’ in the
Lindenhurst community because it’s 84% White.
via NBC:
“ATTN: AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY,” the all-caps note read. “THIS IS COMING FROM LINDENHURST COMMUNITY.”
“YOU DON’T BELONG HERE,” the letter continued. “PLEASE LEAVE LINDENHURST AS SOON AS YOU CAN. IT WILL BE BETTER FOR ALL OF US.”
The
letter urged the woman to find a town “WHERE THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE LIKE
YOU,” and ended with, “SORRY IF THIS IS RUDE, BUT IT’S THE TRUTH.”
Darcell Copes lives in the home with her three grown children and five young grandchildren.
“I
went from being fearful, protecting my family, to being totally
confused, and wanted to know who and why,” she told NBC 4 New York
Friday. “Today, it becomes even deeper: is it someone in the school
district, is it the guy at the corner store, is it my neighbor down the
street? Where?”
Daughter
Ronica Copes uploaded a photo of the menacing, hateful letter to
Facebook, and the image has since been shared more than 1,500 times.
Dozens of Facebook commenters expressed outrage about the letter,
postmarked May 19.
“Sooooo,
I’m checking my mail and when I come across this I can’t help but
laugh… wait, it’s not funny though,” Ronica Copes wrote on her Facebook
page. “Where they do that at? Oh yeah Lindenhurst. Unbelievable but then
it’s not … our daily reality, I’ve just never seen it in this form.”
The
Copes said they’ve been receiving support from the community. The family
has lived in the home for two years and say they hadn’t experienced
overt racism in the past since moving there — but the letter is proof
that alive and well in 2015, and they’re not shocked.
Babylon Town and Lindenhurst Village condemned the letter for its “racist hateful views” in a joint statement obtained by Lindenhurst Patch Friday.
“The
best way to fight bias is with solidarity and we stand with all of our
residents in declaring that there is no place for this type of
intolerance and hatred in the Village of Lindenhurst, the Town of
Babylon, or anywhere in our community,” the statement said, according to
Path. “We are, and always will be, a strong diverse community that does
not cede ground to hostility, ignorance, or hatred, wherever it may
appear.”
As of now, Darcell and her family play on staying in their home. We’re sending prayers their way.
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