[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the midst of calls for police reforms and protests for social justice sweeping the nation, the often idyllic town of Eastchester was abuzz this week with claims of selective enforcement over one family’s support of Black Lives Matter.
The dispute started when the Brown family received a letter from the town Building and Planning Department, dated June 12, asking them to remove a large banner quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the front of their Webster Road home. The letter, Dan Brown only noticed laying between his front porch and side of the house on June 14, stated that the town code prohibited banners and if the homeowners’ did not comply they could be hit with fines of up to $1,000 per day or face up to a year in prison. “It seemed very threatening,” said Avisia Brown, adding this is the first time she’s had an issue in her 37 years as a resident of the Westchester County suburb.
The code also states that any banners, ribbons or exterior displays were prohibited with the exception of one standard American flag.
But Brown, who lives with her husband, their son Odin and her mother Doreen Limato, said she’s oftentimes decorated her house for the Halloween and Christmas holidays. She has also seen banners around the neighborhood for graduations and ones celebrating healthcare workers for the COVID-19 crisis.
“I feel like they… were targeting us because of the content,” she said. “I think they could have been nicer about it.”
In response, Brown and Limato called and emailed the Building and Planning Department on Monday, June 15, but weren’t able to reach anyone. Later that afternoon they received an email from Margaret Uhle, the director of Building and Planning, notifying them that the matter had been referred to the town attorney.
But Brown told the Review on Thursday that she had still not heard back from anyone.
Earlier in the week she decided to contact the press and the interest was immediate. Within hours, national and regional media were calling the Browns seeking comment. “My phone was ringing off the hook on Monday and [into] Tuesday,” she said.
And a quick Google search of Eastchester or social media hashtag scroll soon had the story going viral.
Meanwhile, another Eastchester resident, Ryan Damon, was outraged to hear what happened to the Browns and felt compelled to do something, deciding to organize her own protest.
The local protest quickly became two-fold: to start a Black Lives Matter movement in Eastchester and a call to action over the issue with the Browns’ signs.
Damon, 20, said it’s important for residents to stand up to injustices on the local level, particularly “with the town cherry picking laws to avoid any controversy.”
“There’s been [Black Live Matters] protests in countless other Westchester towns, but none in Eastchester,” she added. “As an extremely white town, it’s our responsibility to our black neighbors that we stand with them and let them know that their fight is our fight, too.”
Brown took part in the second of two days of protests—June 16-17—outside of Eastchester Town Hall on Mill Road. “I thought they did an amazing job. We brought the banner so everyone could hold it up,” she said.
Although there were a few counter-protestors that drove by, Brown said the response was positive. “Lets use this for good change,” she said. “We need to do much more for Black Lives Matter, women’s suffrage or LGBT. We shouldn’t be just celebrating Columbus Day and St. Patrick’s Day.”
By Wednesday morning, the town released a statement announcing that the Building and Planning Department and Law Department had been directed by Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita, a Republican, to review the current sign ordinance with the intent of updating and clarifying it, particularly regarding residential properties.
Drafts of any newly proposed ordinance require a public hearing before being adopted by the Town Council. Colavita said any drafts would be made available to the public prior to any hearing.
The supervisor also asked the Building Department to suspend enforcement of violations on residential properties until an updated ordinance is adopted.
“I feel like it’s a minor victory,” Brown told the Review on Thursday. “I feel like the town got called out and realized they couldn’t just enforce [this] on us.”
Going forward, Brown said she is interested in being involved in the ordinance process. “Yes, I’m hoping that they make that info public [and] prevalent, so we as a community can get involved,” she said, surprised by how much attention the issue has drawn.
After watching the video of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25, Brown said her husband felt the need to do something. She didn’t feel comfortable joining the large protests in New York City with a young son and fear of the coronavirus still looming, so the idea to post signs then materialized.
“We felt it was the least we could do… to make it known in the town that this is important,” Brown said. “It took the George Floyd video for us to realize this is a real problem.”
Colavita could not be reached for comment as of press time.
CONTACT: chris@hometwn.com
