CANARYVILLE — A neighborhood preschool teacher has caused some outrage in some South Side circles after she used a Swiss Army knife to cut down blue ribbons hung in support of police.
Christine Harrell, a preschool teacher at Graham Elementary, said she has since dealt with threats and calls for protest.
On Aug. 14, Harrell posted a photo on Facebook of herself holding a black Swiss Army Knife and two other shots showing blue ribbons she cut down from a utility pole and tree.
"Every woman needs a Swiss Army Knife," she wrote. "You never know when someone will defile something with plastic. #BlackLivesMatter."
The post was shared dozens of times on Facebook and quickly spread around Canaryville, where residents last year tied more than 800 blue ribbons to street lamps, trees and stop signs to show support for local law enforcement and fallen suburban Fox Lake police Lt. Charles “G.I. Joe” Gliniewicz, who was later determined to have killed himself.
Like San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has refused to stand during the pre-game National Anthem, Harrell said she has suffered backlash after the post was shared on a number of neighborhood Facebook pages, prompting outrage from many commenters.
"I have been getting a lot of threats and hate mail the past couple weeks," Harrell said in a Facebook message to DNAinfo Chicago. She declined to comment further.
In a second post on Aug. 19, Harrell said she did not live in the 11th Ward, which includes Canaryville.
"And the blue ribbons I cut weren't in the 11th ward," she wrote.
On her Facebook profile, Harrell describes herself as a "Vegan, feminist, anti-bias teacher & cat lady who sometimes dabbles in activism. Flamenco dancer too!"
Graham Principal John C. Nichols was not immediately available for comment Thursday.
On Graham's local school council, Harrell has allies.
"It is freedom of speech, and both sides have it," said Adam Campbell, a LSC member at Graham. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no controversy. All I care about is the safety of the kids, and as far as I can tell, nothing's happened."
Campbell, who helps run the Canaryville Lions youth football program, said Harrell has every right to "protected speech."
"I'm all about protected speech," Campbell said.
Unless Harrell cut down ribbons on private property, she does not have to worry about authorities charging her with vandalism, according to Chicago Police.
On Thursday, blue ribbons covered the grounds at Graham, where students resume classes Tuesday.
Critics have labeled Harrell's actions as "hatred," going as far as threatening a protest at Graham Elementary, but no protests have formed in the two weeks since Harrell posted on Facebook
