Topeka man wants to share a message after finding noose near BLM sign

Jeff Darr of Topeka has been involved in equality movements since he was eight years old and growing up in the 1960's.

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Jeff Darr has been involved in equality movements since he was eight years old and growing up in the 1960’s.

His biggest influence to get involved was his childhood neighbor, a black man who was a son of a slave. In Jeff’s eyes, that neighbor was his hero.

“We’d sit there and watch the TV, and he’d talk about Martin Luther King, that this time it was going to change for him,” Darr said.

When the Black Lives Matter protests began in Topeka, Darr and his wife were unable to attend due to their health.

However, they showed their support by placing two signs in their front yard, both reading “Black Lives Matter.”

“I got to admit, normally we get honks and a thumbs up,” Darr said.

However, that was far from what occurred on Friday morning.

“Childish. Ignorance,” is how Darr described his thoughts after finding a noose near one of the signs in his yard.

Shortly after, he called the police to inform them of what happened. They took the noose, and told Darr they would look into who may have left it there.

Until then, Darr wants everyone to know that events such as this are taking place, even in Topeka.

“They say, ‘well, here in Topeka…we don’t care about race.’ Well, if you do that then yes, you do,” Darr said.

Darr wishes for people to use this event as a reason to think just a bit more about others before themselves, a message he took away from his old neighbor. His hero.

“It’s what you feel in your heart, which is, right now, black lives should matter,” Darr said.

KSNT News reached out to police to see if they had any leads as to who may have done this on Sunday, and they said there were no updates at that time.