BLM Banner Set Afire At Chappaqua Quaker Meeting House

CHAPPAQUA, NY — Someone set the Black Lives Matter banner on fire Thursday at the Quaker meeting house in Chappaqua.

It's the third time the sign has been vandalized in the wealthy Westchester County suburb.

The Religious Society of Friends built that meeting house in 1750, around the time that Quakers in the American colonies had begun speaking up against slavery. More than 200 years later, peace and social justice are still cornerstones of faith for the group. They put the banner, which was created by a young member, up in June.

Someone painted the word "Black" out in late July. The members repainted the banner and re-hung it. "Black" was painted out again several days later.

Then at 1:48 a.m. Thursday, a call came in to the New Castle police that the banner was on fire. The Chappaqua Fire Department, which put the blaze out, said it was intentionally set.

New Castle Town Supervisor Ivy Poole responded with an open letter to the community on Facebook.

"This morning at 8AM, Town Administrator Jill Shapiro and I met with New Castle Police Chief James Carroll and Lieutenant Estuardo Pazmiño to review the facts and mobilize action immediately. No time has been wasted or lost," she said. "We are investigating this as a hate crime. We have reached out to the New York State Hate Crimes Task Force to request assistance in our investigation. NCPD is reviewing video footage recovered from nearby cameras."

Poole addressed the vandals too: "To the cowards doing this, I say this: However many times you deface and destroy, we will continue to replace, to build it back bigger, better, and more. We will double and triple down in support of our black community members, and all of our BIPOC community members. As a community, and as a Town, we are resolved: BLACK LIVES MATTER."

She invited community members seeking support to reach out to the co-chairs of the New Castle Council on Race and Equity, Nichelle Maynard-Elliot and Zabeen Mirza, who assisted with her statement.

People can also call the police desk at 238-4422 or email the Town Board at townboard@mynewcastle.org.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents should contact the New Castle Police Department at (914) 238-4422, submit an anonymous tip online or text 888-777 and start the message with TIPNC911.

Since the killing of George Floyd in May, as people and communities have expressed horror and vowed to work more vigorously for social justice, incidents of racist vandalism have risen nationwide.

The members of the Chappaqua meeting published an open letter to the community on the Examiner.

"As members of a spiritual community with a long history of peaceful activism and non-violence, deriving from our belief in the inner light in each individual, we as 'Quakers' have adopted goals for ourselves this year centered on this movement," they said in the letter.

The last time New Castle was in the news was in June, after many people disregarded pandemic protocols at Horace Greeley High School graduation and parties causing a coronavirus outbreak.

SEE ALSO:

• Vandals Deface Banner At Chappaqua Quaker Meeting House: Report
• COVID-19 Cluster In New York Linked To High School Graduation
• Residents Flouting Pandemic Rules Called 'Arrogant' And 'Selfish'
• Chappaqua School Trustees To Discuss Racism, Video, Discipline