HARTFORD, Conn. _ When Debra Cohen received a manila envelope in the mail late last week, she knew what it contained before she opened it. A few other Wethersfield residents had already received a confrontational letter sent to houses with Black Lives Matter signs on their front lawns.
"I am writing to share information regarding Black Lives Matter. As a supporter of the movement you should have a clear and factual understanding of the movement," the letter began. The writer claimed that defunding the police _ a rallying cry for some racial justice activists _ endangers residents and property and argued that Black Lives Matter protests have "caused anarchy and chaos within OUR society" and "negatively polarized people causing hate and discontent within OUR population."
The letter was signed "Your neighbors." The return address was Cohen's own address.
"I didn't feel harassed and I didn't feel threatened," Cohen, a 68-year-old Wethersfield resident and community activist, said Monday. "I felt just really disgusted by the cowardice of someone who wants to put across their point of view of something _ regardless of what it is _ but not leave an open end through which people can respond. What does that accomplish?"
The anonymous letter reflects the continued hostility between Black Lives Matter supporters and their critics that has hardened in Connecticut in recent months, revealed through tense protests and counterprotests and the defacing and removal of Black Lives Matter signs in a number of towns. In Wethersfield earlier this summer, a colorful Black Lives Matter sign hung on the entrance of the town historical society was removed by town employees in violation of local policies.
Police tracked down the letter writer, but the case was closed without any arrests because investigators concluded no crime was committed.
Cohen was astonished that someone had noticed her Black Lives Matter sign, written down her address, figured out her name and mailed her the letter. But if the letter was meant to intimidate her, she said it backfired: soon after receiving it, she acquired 20 more Black Lives Matter signs and gave them to other town residents, who each donated $10 to social justice organizations.
Wethersfield Mayor Michael Rell and the town council received practically the same letter about a month ago, Rell said Monday. That letter was signed by the sender, who appeared to be a Connecticut resident, though not a Wethersfield one. At the time, Rell did not think much of it, but when he received word of the anonymous letters sent out last week, he made the connection and provided the sender's information to the police.
Rell, a Republican, said that while the letter did not seem to be threatening, he was concerned that "somebody took the time to drive around, note who had a sign and follow up with a personal letter to the homeowner."
The Wethersfield Police Department investigated the letters after receiving a complaint Thursday, according to Lt. Donald Crabtree. With Rell's information, an officer tracked down the sender, who admitted to sending the letters. The officer warned the person not to send additional anonymous letters but there was no further action taken, Crabtree said.
"The letters were deemed not to be in any criminal nature," Crabtree said. The investigation is now closed.
Amy Tebecio, 39, a Wethersfield resident who also has a Black Lives Matter sign in her yard, received the same letter last Wednesday. She said she was confused to see it was signed "your neighbors" because she lives on a small street and is happy to discuss her sign with any neighbor who might ask about it. If the sender was not actually her neighbor, she found it even more troubling to think that the letter was sent simply because someone noticed her Black Lives Matter sign.
"It would be such a better use of time to actually have a discussion and maybe even work together to make the world a better place," she said in a message Monday. "Instead, this person just wanted to throw their opinions at me without giving me the opportunity to explain my feelings or opinions."
Tebecio said she was also upset that the writer assumed she supported defunding the police.
"While I support BLM, I also support the police. I do NOT support violence or rioting or looting, like the letter implies. I support the equal treatment of human beings," she said.
Rell said that town residents should not face harassment for signs they put in their own yards.
"We live in a society and definitely a town where you have the freedom to express yourself, and if it's a lawn sign on your front lawn or letter to the editor, you should feel comfortable that there will not be repercussions for your actions," he said.
To Cohen, though, the incident is about more than her sign or the letter it elicited.
"I think this is part of a larger wake-up call across Connecticut, and even specifically in my town, that racism is alive and well where we live," she said. "It isn't something that's happening in faraway major cities that we only read about. There's homegrown racism and ignorance all around us."
