Apex police officer tells neighbor he was ‘shocked’ by her family’s Christmas card featuring Black Lives Matter protest

APEX, NC (WTVD) – An Apex mom, who is also head of the Wake County Public Schools System, was shocked by the reaction she got from a neighbor, who happens to be an Apex police officer, about the Christmas card she had sent this year.

Lori Nelson said it was meant to arouse joy.

So she was taken by surprise by the reaction of the police officer who lives next door.

The reaction was in response to one of the photos on her card. It contains 11 family photos and provides an overview of a year.

There are snapshots of trips to the mountains, the beach and Washington DC. And one of the photos was from a Black Lives Matter protest she took with her kids this year to show them what it means to fight for justice.

But Nelson says an Apex police officer who lives next door fired a text message after receiving the holiday greeting.

“I can’t believe anyone, a leader in my community, would write to me,” she said. “Most worrying was when he said he wouldn’t tolerate this anymore.”

The officer reportedly wrote that he was’ shocked ‘that the image was sent to him and that he’ finds it very difficult to believe ‘that a’ white upper-middle-class family living in the suburbs has the slightest clue about it. problem beyond what you watch On the news. “

The text message also says, “I have tolerated the neighborhood signs slapping my face.”

Nelson provided ABC11 with a copy of the text message.

Nelson said the neighborhood signs he’s referring to are Black Lives Matter posters.

She feels his post highlights a bigger problem.

“There is a cultural problem with our police. If he feels okay, send such a response, then that’s the culture of his work environment,” she said.

Nelson went to the police and said administrators calmed her down.

“At one point it was’ Ms. Nelson, are you sure you’re just not stressed out by her job?

Apex Police Deputy Chief Mitch McKinney says the department is aware of the incident and emphasizes that there is an internal investigation into the personal matter.

Nelson urges police to initiate a cultural evaluation in hopes of improving relationships.

“I hope we can come together as a community and say, ‘Hey, we have really great officers trying to do a great job, but we also have a problem and we need to address that,’” she said.

Nelson will discuss the incident in person at Tuesday’s Apex Town Council meeting.