A Black Lives Matter Sign Was Stolen From A Cockeysville Home. The Community Bought Hundreds More To Replace It
COCKEYSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- After a Black Lives Matter sign was stolen from a home in Cockeysville, hundreds more were ordered to replace it.
Living on a fairly busy street across from an elementary school, Lana Hill gets a good amount of foot traffic outside her home.
"I felt like it was important for everyone to know they're welcome here in this neighborhood," Hill said.
She did that with a Black Lives Matter sign. She stuck it on her lawn where it sat for about three weeks until she woke up one morning to find it missing.
"I am aware of the climate that we're in right now and I figured that was probably just a matter of time," Hill said. "Our only thought was, 'Well, we're gonna put up two this time.'"
But when she went to order a new sign, she realized they only came in packs of 10, so she offered up a few on Facebook.
"My original post said, 'Hey, woke up this morning to find that somebody had stolen our Black Lives Matter sign. I'm ordering a pack of 10. If anyone else would like one, please let me know,'" Hill said.
The response was overwhelming. To date, she's ordered 220 signs with more orders to come.
"There's only so much we can do when we're never going to understand, but we can support," said Sara Rivenburgh.
"People shouldn't have to be afraid to walk out of their house and not come home, back to their families," said Gail Kapsambelis.
"This is a dramatic change for this neighborhood, and it's a welcome change," said Dianna Morgan.
While Hill says the response has been mostly positive, there are some that aren't thrilled with what she's doing.
In the middle of WJZ's interview with Hill, someone driving by yelled for her to take down the signs. Her response: "Have a good day."
"It's about using my platform, our location, my privilege to be able to amplify the message that Black Lives Matter," she said.
Hill said she plans to continue ordering signs for her neighbors for as long as they want them, and she encourages you to do the same thing in your community.