“Black Lives Matter” on a Fence at the Maine Jewish Museum, Congress Street. It Has Been Destroyed Beyond Use Because of “Vandalism.”
The Banner Crumpled up and Found in the Nearby Parking Lot. Photo by Nanci Kahn, Maine Jewish Museum, Curator of Photography.
The Banner with the Word “Black” Cut Out From The Top in an Almost Surgical Way That was Very Intentional. Photo by Nanci Kahn, Maine Jewish Museum, Curator of Photography. The Portland Police Department Says This is not a Hate Crime Because the Word Black is no Different From any Other Word. What is HE Smoking?
“It is vandalism but not a hate crime,” a Portland Police Department officer told Steven Brinn, Board President of the Maine Jewish Museum, yesterday shortly after Brinn reported the incident to the Department.
Yesterday morning a consultant at the Museum, 267 Congress Street, noticed that the word “Black” had been cut out of the banner on display on the front fence for months now. (See below right photo).
This morning the same banner was found crumpled up beyond use in the parking lot near the 267 Congress Street location.
A new banner has already been ordered by the Museum and should arrive in about a week to replace the destroyed banner. “Where to hang it up is now is what we are trying to decide,” said Brinn this afternoon. “Somewhere up high, but still visible,” he said.
” I thought it might be a hate crime ’cause the word Black was cut out,” said Brinn in a telephone conversation this afternoon with mhn.com when he described his conversation with a member of the Portland Police Department yesterday just after the incident was discovered. But, the police officer disagreed with Brinn he said. “The word Black is no different from any other word,” the Portland Police Officer told Brinn.
The Officer then told Brinn that maybe someone back at the Police Station believed it was a hate crime. If so, the officer would get back to him. Brinn has not heard back from the officer since their discussion yesterday noon.
Did not know that. Learn something every day here in Portland.
mhn.com: Portland Police don’t like little old bag ladies wearing tennis shoes with no police record, who have never smoked anything whatsoever and have no recourse to make them accountable – that is until little old bag ladies wearing tennis shoes with no police record do have a way to embarrass them…… It wasn’t until I retired to Portland from Alexandria, VA that I became an issue for the Portland Police. Never, ever was threatened with arrest and jail time in Alexandria as I have been here, twice. I get it. Portland must have higher standards than Alexandria.