Black Lives Matter Signs Stolen On Cape Cod, Replaced With 'Hate Mail'
FALMOUTH (CBS) - Falmouth police are investigating the theft of some Black Lives Matter signs in town.
"I put one out, it was stolen, I put two out, it was stolen," said Adam Subhas, who put the signs on a mailbox only to have them replaced with what he said was hate mail.
The flyers he received compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the KKK and Nazism. Another described George Floyd as an armed criminal.
"It's one of the first things you see when you come into town and someone must have thought that was offensive to them," said Subhas.
The signs have become numerous around Cape Cod, which activist Jarita Davis said is a welcome change in the largely white Cape communities, and are providing an important voice she said may be challenging to some.
"I think it's more widely accepted, more commonplace and mainstream. Before it was risky to put a sign like that in front of your house," said Davis.
There's now such demand for the signs, there's a nationwide backorder, making them difficult to get. That's why local artist Robert Manz has stepped in. In his Pocasset studio, he has printed at least 100 Black Lives Matter signs, and production continues as requests come in. He believes their presence on the Cape is important for the movement.
"I think a message needs a visual presence. It's nice to know that other people feel this way," said Manz.
Subhas said he'll once again replace his sign as soon as he can obtain one. "All of us as white people need to recognize our voices matter in this fight. You can't back down."