Medford VFW's 'All Lives Matter' Banner Once Again Under Scrutiny

MEDFORD, MA – The NAACP is once again calling for the removal of the "All Lives Matter" banner at the Medford VFW ahead of the upcoming 2018 election. In a letter to city officials dated Aug. 13, Mystic Valley NAACP President Zane Crute wrote that the organization believes the banner constitutes a political sign and is inappropriate for a polling place. The VFW is the polling location for Ward 8, Precinct 2.

"The All Lives Matter slogan has been used as a way to attempt to silence and refute the Black Lives Matter movement," Crute wrote. "Moreover, All Lives Matter turns a blind eye to the epidemic of police brutality and lack of legal accountability for the police officers across the United States who have repeatedly used lethal force in non-life-threatening situations against communities of color."

The letter asks that the banner be "covered or taken down" on Election Day or the polling location be moved.

In 2016, the NAACP sought the removal of the banner ahead of the presidential election. The VFW refused, with the post's quartermaster Earl Ercoline telling the Medford Transcript, "[the banner]'s not trying to hurt somebody. It's not putting anybody down."

A person who answered the phone at the VFW on Monday declined to comment.

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