BLM Utah head who called American flag 'symbol of hatred' resigns, citing 'death threats'

Black Lives Matter under fire for statement supporting Cuban regime

Former deputy assistant attorney general John Yoo and ‘The Aggressive Progressive’ host Chris Hahn weigh in on the organization’s response

The president of the Black Lives Matter Utah chapter announced she’s stepping down and has fled the state, citing “death threats” over a Fourth of July Facebook post that called the American flag “a symbol of hatred.”

Chapter founder Lex Scott made headlines last month after she argued on behalf of her group, which is not affiliated with the national BLM organization, that people who fly the U.S. flag are hostile toward people of color.

“When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around,” the July 4 post read. “When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist. When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do. When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you. It is a symbol of hatred.”

In a tearful video posted on the group’s Facebook page Sunday, Scott announced she was resigning from both her posts as group president and as president of the Utah Black History Museum.

“Over the last month you know that I received death threats like a flood,” Scott wrote in an accompanying statement. “This is not new. The only new thing was when someone attempted to climb over my fence and instead of defending myself, I relaxed my body and told myself that I wished they would hurry and get it over with. I did not even want to fight back. The exhaustion of being on defense had worn on me. So prepared to die that I welcomed death and that is not living.” 

Scott said she and her family decided to relocate out of Utah to an undisclosed city that she cheerfully described as “all Black.”

“I can sleep at night, which is a new thing,” she said. “When we arrived to our new location we stopped at a Walmart. I looked around and there was not one White person in that store. There are literally no White people anywhere. There aren’t even White cops. I made a doctor’s appointment, my doctor is Black. My mailman is Black, my daughter’s teachers are Black, the billboards have Black lawyers on them. No one profiles us in stores. No one even notices us. We blend in.” 

“I will never not be a part of this movement,” she continued. “Police officers can retire. Black people cannot. We will always be under this racist system and we can’t go anywhere to avoid that. I also feel like it will take me a year to figure out the politics here. I like to study a situation before becoming involved. And there are situations here. Situations that must be addressed. And there are so many resources here. I could build a Black army. I really could.”

“I will miss your faces. I will miss yelling at police. I will miss the CAG. I will miss striking fear into the hearts and souls of racists,” she added.

Scott said she has been replaced by Utah activist Rae Duckworth, who is related to Bobby Duckworth, a 26-year-old killed by Wellington police in September 2019, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

BLM Utah organizer Mario Mathis has taken over Scott’s role as museum president, she said.

Source: Read Full Article