FORT WALTON BEACH — Some residents plan to show their opposition later this month to a series of signs posted on private property along Beal Parkway.
About 100 people are expected to gather Jan. 26 to respond to signs posted by Larry Ford on his property that they perceive as racist.
Fort Walton Beach United Against Racism is a loosely organized group that hopes to make it clear to everyone that the community as a whole is against racism, said Mikey Noechel, who is the moderator of a Facebook page for the event.
“So many people have been so supportive,” he said “It is something that so many people just want to jump in full force.”
The demonstration will be the first large protest against Ford’s signs since they began appearing after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, but it is not the first public stance taken against them.
On Dec. 22, Melanie Alexander stood on the sidewalk in front of the signs that say, among other things, “Blacks take jobs from whites,” and held a poster asking drivers to “honk if you hate racism.”
Noechel said Alexander’s action, combined with conversations among several residents earlier that month, culminated in the Jan. 26 event.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll just get out there and celebrate unity,” Noechel said. “They can take it where they want to go, just as long as they stay in the boundaries of non-violence and respect.”
On the Facebook event page, Noechel and others repeatedly state that it will be a peaceful protest with no intent to hinder Ford’s First Amendment right.
The demonstrators will remain on the sidewalks, will not block access to any business and will not tolerate violence of any kind, he said.
Alexander said this is the type of response she was hoping to inspire when she held her sign last month.
“I’m glad that it maybe got people to say out loud what they’ve been saying in private,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of like-minded people out there. It’s just a matter of doing something.”
Ford declined to comment when contacted by the Daily News.
WANT TO ATTEND?
The demonstration will be Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Beal Parkway near the intersection of Yancey Street. For more information, visit the Facebook page FWB Stands United Against Racism.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.