🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A Baptist church in Texas said it was deceived by a group of protestors who asked to use the parking lot to hold a Black Lives Matter rally, but instead held a 'Back The Blue' gathering in support of law enforcement.
Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas said in a statement shared to Facebook that the church was contacted by a person "in need of meeting space for a Black Lives Matter Rally."
"In support of the movement, we agreed to allow the Black Lives Matter Rally happen in our parking lot. The rally turned out to be a Blue Lives Matters meet up where individuals flew Trump 2020 flags and a Confederate Flag," the statement said.
The protest was held Sunday afternoon and in its statement, Friendship-West said the church "experienced deceit and hate from a group of individuals in support of Blue Lives Matter" in recounting the correspondence that misled staff ahead of the 'Back The Blue' event.
Once they were aware of what happened, members of the church's staff and senior pastor, Dr. Frederick Haynes III, confronted demonstrators and asked them to leave the property. One person is heard telling demonstrators their event was not approved by the church or pastor in an initial video shared to Facebook. According to a report from Houston CBS-affiliate KHOU, about 1,000 people participated in Sunday's 'Back The Blue' event, which saw several auto and bike clubs drive more than 100 miles across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The group reportedly made one of its stops outside Friendship-West.
Newsweek reached out to Dr. Haynes and one of the rally's organizers for additional comments but did not receive replies in time for publication.
In a subsequent statement recorded on video, Dr. Haynes denounced those who participated in the demonstration. As people across the world continue to protest police abuse and systemic racism during ongoing Black Lives Matter rallies, others have gathered in support of law enforcement agencies. In his statement, Haynes emphasized Blue Lives Matter protesters' Confederate flags and Trump merchandise were not "welcome on the campus of Friendship-West."
"We have a big 'Black Lives Matter' sign. Our ministry and mission reflects that," the pastor said, adding: "Let me just say this right now...In the age of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, if you are not, as police officers and persons who claim you support policing...if you ain't declaring Black Lives Matter and then restructuring your departments to reinvest in communities, then as far as I'm concerned, it's a Klan rally."
Taylor and Floyd's deaths during interactions with law enforcement earlier this year became central focuses of Black Lives Matter demonstrations that followed. Taylor, a Black EMT, was fatally shot by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, who entered her apartment via a no-knock search warrant in the middle of the night. Floyd died in the custody of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, roughly two months later. A video of then-officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes quickly went viral online, and sparked a global push for accountability and reform among police agencies.
