WOODHAVEN, Mich. – Several racially insensitive signs were placed in front of the Woodhaven Police Department on Easter morning.
The signs have been removed, but the aftereffects remain. Officials with the police department said it was the result of a protest that took place right out front.
One woman said the signs offended her entire family.
“It’s a little nerve-wrecking to know that my kids have to grow up in a society where it’s still real,” Kandace Randle said.
Randle was going for a ride into Woodhaven for some last-minute Easter shopping when she caught an unexpected glimpse of large signs displaying racial undertones. They were posted right in front of the city’s police department.
The words, “Black Lives Don’t Matter,” and “White Crime Pays” are just some of what could be seen alongside a confederate flag.
“I went to Tim Horton’s today before going to Walmart, and after leaving Tim Horton’s, it was right there in front of the Police Station,” Randle said.
Her husband, Jarred, is African American. The couple has two young children together, ages 2 and 3 years old.
“Having two mixed children, that makes it hard to even go to work knowing that my family’s alone because I work,” Jarred Randle said.
Sadly, he says, it hardly a surprise anymore. But it is a stark reminder of where we are as a nation, he said.
“It’s close to normal in a way. Like, when she called me in the morning, after she saw it. She was like, ‘What do I do?’” Jarred Randle said.
Ironically, both realize there’s nothing that can truly be done about whoever decided to post the rhetoric.
“It’s freedom of speech, but it’s kind of unacceptable at the same time. You really can’t do anything about it other than to speak out,” Jarred Randle said.
That’s exactly what Kandace Randle did, snapping pictures and posting them on social media. So far, her post has gathered hundreds of shares.
“I know that nothing can really be done. I mean, it is freedom of speech. It is his opinion. I just want people to be aware about it. It is still out there and it will be” Jarred Randle said.