Stephanie Funk said the person who lives at the home began placing signs and flags on his fence after a Hispanic family bought the house next door.
ROGERS, Ark. — Since resident Stephanie Funk noticed a disturbing display at a home on West Poplar Street while driving in Rogers, the community has been rallying behind the family believed to be targeted by the display.
Over the last couple of months, she said the person who lives at the home began placing signs and flags on his fence after a Hispanic family bought the house next door.
“I think what was so upsetting about the display was the volume and intensity of it,” Funk said. “The intent was to intimidate, harm, scare. My heart hurt so badly for the family because you could tell that it was pointed intentionally at the next-door neighbor.”
The display included Confederate flags with one stating “Dixie Land,” Donald Trump flags, signs condemning Joe Biden, white trash bags, and more.
“I just felt compelled to use whatever privilege I have for good for this family,” Funk said.
Funk took to Facebook to spread awareness and later created a GoFundMe to raise money to plant trees as a barricade, and with enough money, a fence to block the flags.
In just three days, more than 200 people have donated almost $11,000.
With community awareness, came change. Funk said the resident removed the display Monday evening.
“I think the community pressure was a lot, and I don’t know, maybe he’s seen the GoFundMe,” she said. “Maybe he’s seen it on Facebook. It got a ton of shares on that Facebook post. And then I do know that the police went over and talked to him about the trash because that does violate a city ordinance.”
Even so, Funk’s efforts continue. She said they still plan to plant the trees to create a visual screen in case tensions rise again.
“This probably isn’t quite over. As humans, we get our pride and ego hurt, and we react,” she said. “So I want to create a screen that regardless of how the neighbor is feeling, what mood the neighbor is in, this family feels protected and safe.”
The family wishes to stay anonymous but issued a statement.
“First and foremost, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Ms. Stephanie Funk for her unwavering support and courage in standing up against hate, Her actions have made a significant impact on our community, and we’re forever grateful.
Regarding the incident, we are still trying to process the hurt and trauma caused by the racist and hateful behavior of our neighbor. However, we were heartened by the outpouring of love and support from our community and beyond the GoFundMe campaign, which Ms. Funk helped us set up.
We hope that our story will serve as a reminder that hate and racism have no place in our society. We must continue to stand together against hate and promote love, acceptance, and inclusivity for all. Once again, thank you for your support.”