Dear Editor,

I own my home here in Vinton. I was born and raised here...taught school in Kansas until 2006...and returned home in May of 2007.

It's a shame that a person who believes strongly in something cannot display a flag on their own property without it being stolen. My Black Lives Matter sign and holder was recently "stolen" from MY yard.

I was in high school when Martin Luther King, Jr., made his march and gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. I thought we had come a long way in helping Blacks realize this dream. But after the murders of the Black jogger, George Floyd, and others; it proves just how far we HAVE NOT come. if anyone can watch the video of George Floyd's murder without feeling moved, then they are a racist and not even a human being!!

But what should I expect from a nation with a racist president and a state led by a governor who is tied to the belt of Donald Trump.

I thought Vinton was more open-minded. I guess I was wrong.

Still, stealing a sign from my property is trespassing and theft. And it's sad I can't have my own beliefs.

Peggy Kelley