St. Anthony resident receives anonymous letter chastising them for their Christmas light display and calls it a reminder of “systemic biases against our neighbors who don’t celebrate Christmas or can’t afford to put up lights of their own.” It further calls the lights “harmful.”
St. Anthony resident receives anonymous letter chastising them for their Christmas light display and calls it a reminder of "systemic biases against our neighbors who don't celebrate Christmas or can't afford to put up lights of their own."
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 7, 2020
It further calls the lights "harmful." pic.twitter.com/Xh11jbnswz
ICYMI: Here's the actual photo of the "offensive" Christmas lights.
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 8, 2020
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. pic.twitter.com/jIl9mj2L7A
The letter read as follows:
“I couldn’t help but notice your Christmas light display. During these unprecedented times, we have all experienced challenges which casual words just don’t describe what we’re feeling. The idea of twinkling, colorful lights are a reminder of divisions that continue to run through our society, a reminder of systemic biases against our neighbors who don’t celebrate Christmas or who can’t afford to put up lights of their own.
We must do the work of educating ourselves about the harmful impact an outward facing display like yours can have. I challenge you to respect the dignity of all people, while striving to learn differences, ideas, and opinions of our neighbors. We must come together collectively and challenge these institutional inequities; St. Anthony is a community welcoming of all people and we must demand better for ourselves.”
