A Black family in a Dallas, Texas suburb is struggling to deal with the aftermath of an attack last week where people set fire to their two cars, vandalized a "Black Lives Matter" sign in their yard and spray-painted "Trump 20" on their garage, according to NBC News.
The news outlet reported that 36-year-old Jayla Gipson was home with her family on Wednesday night when her 21-year-old son noticed the smell of smoke and went outside.
He found both of the family's cars on fire and other damage to their property. No suspects have been arrested, and police in Little Elm said they were investigating the attack, but there was no doubt in Gipson's mind that this was a hate crime.
“It’s definitely a hate crime. ‘Trump 2020’ was sprayed on our garage, our ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was spray-painted, and our cars were engulfed in flames,” Gipson told NBC News before saying she thought the family's "Black Lives Matter" sign was what drew the attackers to their home.
“It’s horrible. Had that sign not been in my yard, I don’t think this would have ever been an incident for us,” she said.
Gipson noted that her 12-year-old daughter's room is right next to the garage and that she could have lost her life if her son had not noticed the smoke and called 911.
But in her interview with NBC News, Gipson said she had no regrets about putting up the sign despite what happened.
“My life does matter, and regardless of how anyone feels or what their beliefs or opinions is — it’s something that I’m voicing to the universe. Black lives matter,” she said.
The family has started a GoFundMe, where they shared photos of the damage and have already raised more than $15,000 to help with the cost of replacing their cars and fixing the garage.
Photos shared by the family showed the front bumpers of both cars completely melted and huge burns on the family garage.
A neighbor even made a TikTok about the situation.
@emaleerxse
"That sign was in my yard for less than two weeks and then all of a sudden we get a tragedy like this. I would have preferred they just take the sign. But to set the house on fire? That's going way too far," Gipson said.
The family had to put sheets over their garage to cover the "Trump 20" sign that was spray-painted on their garage.
"We just wanted to clean everything up, a lot of people were coming by taking pictures and it was just a lot of attention," Charles Crawford, Gipson's partner, said. "One neighbor bought us a camera system that I installed and another bought paint for us to paint over the 'Trump 20' left behind."
The family is now struggling to move forward because the couple's son needs a car to get to work and any insurance settlement will have to wait until the police investigation is finished.
To make matters worse, Gipson recently had tumors removed from her brain and is still recovering.
“I’m recovering from brain surgery. Sept. 23 is the last time I worked. This just adds to the toll of what we’re already going through,” Gipson told The Little Elm Journal.
The Little Elm Police Department said in a statement on Facebook that it was in the process of interviewing witnesses, reviewing video footage and collecting evidence.
Trump supporters and white supremacist protesters have frequently targeted "Black Lives Matter" signs for destruction. Last weekend, white supremacist terror group Proud Boys roamed through Washington, D.C., and desecrated a "Black Lives Matter" sign that was in the window of a local church, as Blavity previously reported.
In her interview with The Little Elm Journal, Gipson added that the attackers also threw bricks through the windshield of the cars in addition to lighting the bumpers on fire. She said in total, the damage would cost the family about $70,000.
“We definitely feel targeted. “It’s political, and it’s uncalled for. I don’t feel like we should have to go through that. This is because of how my family’s identity and that we shared a 'Black Lives Matter' sign. For the perpetrators it was cowardly. I hope they pay the price,” she said.
