News — Hope

A Black resident in a Jacksonville neighborhood in Florida has filed a federal lawsuit against his local homeowners’ association after he was told to remove a Black Lives Matter flag he hung from his house.

But Antoine Mickle claims his neighbors also displayed paraphernalia with politically-charged themes including some in support of President Donald Trump as well as Blue Lives Matter flags, the Florida Times-Union reported.

In a press conference on November 24, Mickle, who has been a resident in the Kernan and Atlantic boulevards neighborhood for almost 19 years, detailed how the association as well his neighbors, have subjected him to harassment during his stay.

“I felt lonely and just all by myself that I couldn’t do anything against this powerful force, an HOA that has attempted to take my home away from me before,” Mickle said. “I have been threatened by the HOA. I have been threatened by particular neighbors who stand in front of my yard and gawk until I would leave. I’ve had harassment for the last 20 years or so from things like I don’t have red mulch in my yard when others [also] don’t have it.”

Responding to the allegations, the River Point Community Association board released a statement claiming that “unfortunately, the homeowner took offense to a letter sent to him that would have been sent to any other homeowners not following Association guidelines that have been in place for some time.”

The association claimed the disagreement did not stem from the Black Lives Matter flag in question, but rather had to with Mickle mounting it on his house instead of on a flagpole below the American flag, the Florida Times-Union reported.

In the letter to Mickle to take down the flag, the board said his flying of the Black Lives Matter flag was in contravention of a “nuisance clause” which prohibited “noxious or offensive activities.” They also claimed flags and other signs that are displayed on properties should be “seasonal in nature”, adding that “flags flying underneath the American flag on a flagpole are subject to enforcement under the state statutes, and not subject to enforcement by the Association.”

Meanwhile, Mickle’s lawsuit reportedly provided several photos of residents hanging flags – including a Blue Lives Matter flag, a Thin Blue Line flag and a host of other Trump flags – the same way he hung his, which is on his house instead of a flagpole.

In their statement, the board announced they weren’t going to pursue the case any further, claiming they were just doing their job.

“Unfortunately, this is a politically charged time and the timing was ill-advised. We were obviously not thinking about that and just simply doing our job as we would have with any other type or flag or sign outside of the guideline,” the statement said.

A representative from the HOPE Fair Housing Center in Miami, Keenya Robertson, however, told the Florida Times-Union Mickle’s lawsuit was justified as his case was a “modern-day version of discrimination and tactics that are meant to harass and intimidate someone who lives in their community.”

Lawyers for the plaintiff also told the news outlet they want the association to amend its policies and partake in training.

“Homeowners associations have a lot of power,” attorney David Cronin said. “They have a lot of power in Jacksonville. They can, as we saw in the housing crisis, take your home away from you.”

Another attorney, Matt Dietz, added: “These folks need to understand and know that this is wrong and by doing this you’re not only harming Mr. Mickle, you’re harming everybody’s right to live in an integrated community.”

Operation Hope, one of the leading financial education and economic empowerment groups serving African Americans, teamed up with global e-commerce powerhouse Shopify to create 1 million Black-owned businesses over the next five years.

John Hope Bryant, the organization’s president and CEO, announced today the HOPE One Million New Black Business & New Black Entrepreneurship Initiative (1MBB) and its goal to develop multitudes of new Black-owned firms throughout the nation in the U.S. by 2030. To achieve this bold mission, Operation HOPE will work closely with Canada’s largest publicly-traded company which estimates the value of its commitment at $130 million over the course of this initiative.

Operation HOPE has also quantified its portion as worth tens of millions of dollars and will secure other partners who will make significant in-kind contributions. In fact,  100 Black Men of America Inc., the country’s top African American-led mentoring organization chaired by influential businessman and civic leader Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., helped initiate the effort as a key founding community partner. In that role, the organization has pledged to supply 1MMB with business mentors nationwide.

“Creating generational wealth through the creation of new Black businesses and Black entrepreneurs is a direct gateway to social justice. The creation of ownership, jobs, and opportunity in a generation helps to strengthen democracy and ensure freedom through self-determination. This is empowerment at scale,” Bryant said in a release. “To have Shopify actively supporting the 1MBB Initiative is a true game changer. Working together, we can scale our business creation platform to help underserved communities and enhance economic prosperity across America.”

“At Shopify, we believe more independent voices make commerce better for everyone. That’s why we work to break down the barriers to entrepreneurship every day,” Shopify President Harley Finkelstein said in a release. “By collaborating with Operation HOPE and working together on our shared passion for helping underserved communities succeed, we believe we can help unlock even more economic opportunities for Black business owners across the country, leading to greater choices for shoppers everywhere.”

Historically, the Black community has faced systemic barriers to entry. Moreover, COVID-19 has further served as an anathema to Black businesses. Operation HOPE reports “that 58% of Black firms were considered at risk or distressed as well as suffering from low profits, low credit scores, or income shocks in the months immediately following the onset of the pandemic And according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, more than 40% of such firms have been forced to close their doors.

Partnered with Shopify, Operation HOPE seeks to address these challenges by reducing impediments, encouraging more entrepreneurs to start and scale businesses and offer business-building tools, resources, and education.

According to Operation Hope, the program has launched its website and will provide guidance for those seeking to participate including :

• The 1MBB initiative is open to any Black entrepreneur or small business owner who has a dream of starting a business or taking their existing business to the next level.
• Each entrepreneur will create his/her unique path, depending on their work experience, how far along they are in their business plan and their specific areas of need. There is also a program for those with no experience, just the passion and drive to build a business, by utilizing the HOPE Business in a Box (HBIAB) online training program for those starting at square one. This program consists of a variety of self-paced learning modules and can be completed in as little as 10 weeks.
• 1MMB provides a wide range of services including creating or modifying a business plan; providing 1:1 small business coaching; getting advice from experts in a variety of areas.

It will also help entrepreneurs launch their operations either in a physical location and/or through an e-commerce platform; and provide guidance on ways to attract funding and customer development/retention.