A particularly diverse St. Louis neighborhood was confused to see inflammatory stickers with “White Only” and “#BLM” plastered on various store windows. The community is one step closer to finding out the truth behind the stickers thanks to new video footage showing a group of men placing them. Newsweek reports:
Surveillance video obtained and published by local TV station KMOV shows a small group of what appear to be young, white men posting the stickers on businesses’ windows. It is unclear who they are and why they added “#BLM” to the signs.
Many business owners believe Black Lives Matter is unaffiliated with the vandalism. The organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Aaron Johnson, who owns RISE Coffee House in the Grove, speculated that it might be someone “seeking to clumsily provoke a conversation” or even “a provocateur seeking to gaslight BLM, as this is not a known tactic for the group.”
Locals think the stickers were an attempt by racists to stoke more ill will during a time of heightened racial tensions. The restaurants that were vandalized by the stickers are extremely diverse and some are known for their progressive values. Take one business’s response on Facebook, for example:
Fortunately, many of the businesses were able to take the stickers down before any customers saw them. Click here to view a clip of the surveillance footage.