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To the Angry Shopper Who Criticized Our Black Lives Matter Display
The Huffington Post's Black Voices The Blog ^ | August 13, 2015 | Jarek Steele, independent bookseller, writer and occasional activist

Posted on 08/13/2015 2:04:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

This week, we received an anonymous letter in response to this window display commemorating the one year anniversary of Michael Brown's:

There was no return address, and it wasn't signed. It was a very short message on a note card telling us that we had lost a customer. In it, the person said we stoked the flames of enmity between races and promoted division. The person asked us why we insisted upon doing that.

It's hard to know how to respond. What I want to do is call up the customer and chat. I want to take him or her out for coffee and talk about what those three words mean and why I and our store feel compelled to repeat them in a window along a busy street in what seems to some to be an act of ill will.

There is no way to do that in this case so allow me to publicly answer this letter in hopes that it reaches the person who wrote it or those who agree with its sentiments.

In all honesty, the window makes me nervous. I come to work every day with the news of protests in our city rattling around in my head. I worry (justifiably, it seems) that we'll lose customers. I worry that some great books aren't getting space in that window. I worry that those who sympathize with the message will think we're trying to cash in on a civil rights movement.

I worry a lot about a lot of things.

I'm a 42-year-old white transgender man. My family's white. Most of my friends are white. I married two white people and gave birth to a white son....

(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics
KEYWORDS: afroturf; astroturf; blackkk; blacklivesmatter; blacks; georgesoros; huffingtonpost; huffpo; jareksteele; missouri; transgenders
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What in the world happened to this country?
1 posted on 08/13/2015 2:04:23 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There’s nothing discuss with those adding fuel to the fire. All Lives Matter. Anything else is racist.


2 posted on 08/13/2015 2:06:31 PM PDT by grania
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
You ask the silliest questions.

Godless Liberalism happened to the country.

3 posted on 08/13/2015 2:06:42 PM PDT by PROCON (FReeping on CRUZ Control)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

we stopped shooting on sight


4 posted on 08/13/2015 2:06:43 PM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There’s nothing wrong with that window that a brick wouldn’t fix.


5 posted on 08/13/2015 2:07:13 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The text is white. That’s racist. The text should be black too.


6 posted on 08/13/2015 2:08:35 PM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: grania

“I am a 42-year old transgender man”

That’s as far as I got......


7 posted on 08/13/2015 2:09:13 PM PDT by markoman (The man with the rubber glove was....surprisingly gentle.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Someone let the freakshow out of the carnival.


8 posted on 08/13/2015 2:09:43 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

But...but...those signs are brick repellent.


9 posted on 08/13/2015 2:10:21 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

As if rioters would ever loot a book store.


10 posted on 08/13/2015 2:10:24 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
the one year anniversary of Michael Brown's:

Mike Brown's what? Puppy adoption? Won three dollars in the lottery?

I'm a 42-year-old white transgender man. My family's white. Most of my friends are white. I married two white people and gave birth to a white son...

ALLLLLLLRighty then....

11 posted on 08/13/2015 2:10:31 PM PDT by humblegunner (NOW with even more AWESOMENESS)
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To: LostInBayport
The text is white. That’s racist. The text should be black too.

"The ink is black/The page is white/Together we learn to read and write...."

12 posted on 08/13/2015 2:11:03 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: markoman

“I am a 42-year old white transgender man”


13 posted on 08/13/2015 2:11:21 PM PDT by markoman (The man with the rubber glove was....surprisingly gentle.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I married two white people...

WTF?

14 posted on 08/13/2015 2:13:02 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Do White Lives Matter?


15 posted on 08/13/2015 2:13:19 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

. What I want to do is call up the customer and chat”

Sure you do, Chump. The EX customer would have to listen blah blah blah to you spouting the Michael Brown the Victim card and all the other pandering propaganda suckers like you have bought in to.

I’ll say it one more time for you: Michael Brown was a thug who was hoisted on his own petard. Officer Darren Wilson and his family were subjected to threats and hatred beyong description . . .

ALL for THE BIG LIE


16 posted on 08/13/2015 2:15:07 PM PDT by A_Former_Democrat (De-fund ALL "Sanctuary Cities" And remove the idiots in charge of them.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m a 42-year-old white transgender man. My family’s white. Most of my friends are white. I married two white people and gave birth to a white son....
_________________________________________

Too much info...a man has a baby...Okaaaaaaaay

and I thought this was going to be about why black lives mattered and no other color...


17 posted on 08/13/2015 2:15:37 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think we should all send him/her/it (??) postcards to confirm that we would not shop there, either. Just so he/she/it is not left to believe that only ONE of their customers or potential customers was offended.


18 posted on 08/13/2015 2:16:09 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yes Virginia,

Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!
Blacklives(are all that)matter!


19 posted on 08/13/2015 2:16:33 PM PDT by Leep (Vote Bush! Why? Because we say so!)
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To: DuncanWaring

this man should be locked up in a mental institution and would have years ago. Now we have closed them down and let he loons walk amongst others and even then some tell these loons they are OK and encourage their sick ness


20 posted on 08/13/2015 2:17:16 PM PDT by manc (Marriage =1 man + 1 woman,when they say marriage equality then they should support polygamy)
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