MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (WXYZ) — After stickers promoting unwanted activism started popping up, community members and business owners in Mount Clemens are speaking out.
A well-known alleyway in downtown Mount Clemens is a popular place for stickers, but not the kind that recently started showing up.
Marcel Johnson first noticed the black and white stickers with QR codes promoting "white lives matter" and "straight pride" on Wednesday after a customer called to alert him. Johnson, who owns Lil Daddy's Cheesecakes Co., then again noticed them Friday morning.
“I think it was just a high-traffic area that they wanted to target,” Johnson said.
He tore them all down and reported both incidents to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office hoping that would be the end of it but as he was talking to 7 News Detroit, we found even more.
“Somebody came back and did that,” Johnson said.
He describes the repeated incidents as harassment against the community.
“It makes me more angry than anything,” Johnson said.
Johnson and his wife opened up shop in the area because of the inclusive and diverse community and says this this won’t be tolerated. He doesn’t want to give it too much attention but wants it known they won’t be silenced.
“Everyone knows we’re not intimidated. We won’t be. Things like that will always be taken down here,” Johnson said.
Local businesses like Max and Ollie’s, Paperback Writer Books store and Weirdsville Records are sending the same message.
“We’re very disappointed. We’re a close-knit community for being a big community and we think everybody matters,” said Lisa Taylor, co-owner of Paperback Writer Book Store and Weirdsville Records.
“We don't stand for it. This is an all-inclusive community. It always has been and it always will be. Everyone is welcome, but keep those thoughts to yourself,” said Diane Kubik, owner of Max & Ollie’s, which is celebrating 20 years in March.
Longtime community member and volunteer Lee Gothro echoed those sentiments.
“We’re not going back — we’re going forward and we’re going to take as many people as we can with us,” Gothro said.
Leaders like Mayor Laura Kropp agree.
“I was shocked at first and then extremely defensive of my community because I know that’s not the values of our community,” Kropp said. “We’re a diverse community. We have so many different types of people that belong to our community and we always feel strongly that that is a point of pride for us."
As the home of Macomb County Pride, they are taking the harassment seriously. With no cameras in the alley, Kropp considering making a change.
“I jumped into action. We talked to the sheriff and may go as far as setting up cameras to find out who is doing this,” Kropp said.
They can’t understand why someone would target their community for those kind of messages.
“As some of us come up, we’re taught to ignore these kind of things and it’s to be expected. I never thought it would be at my front door though,” Johnson said.
The Macomb County Sherrif’s Office is investigating and increasing patrols in the area, especially on the midnight shift.
