Recent months have seen outrage over incidents of people calling the police over an 8-year-old girl selling water bottles, over a family barbecue thrown in a public park, over two gentleman waiting in a Starbucks, over a graduate student at Yale napping in her dorm’s common room, and– recently– over a 12-year-old child mowing lawns.
What unites these seemingly unbelievable “police reports” is that each is centered on a black individual doing ordinary things only to be confronted by law enforcement officers at the call of a misguided stranger.
Just one instance of this phenomenon centers around 12-year-old Reginald “Reggie” Fields and his company, Mr. Reggie’s Lawn Cutting Service, in Maple Heights, Ohio. When Lucille Holt stumbled upon the young man and his siblings– she was astounded by their professionalism and work ethic. Holt’s enthusiasm led her to publicize Fields’ business with a quick upload to Facebook Live that displayed their ability and their positive attitudes.
“Could I have had my son cut the grass? Yes. Could I have had my brother to come over here and cut the grass? Yes. . . They’re doing an awesome job . . . our babies are out here doing the right thing.”
While in the initial video, Holt notes her intention to “support our babies” and promote the well-being and work ethic of a new generation, it was quickly revealed that not everyone in the community shared Holt’s sentiments. In a second video, Holt reveals that one of her neighbors had called the police because some of the grass cut by the children may have been over the property line.
While expressing her disbelief and disappointment in her neighbors, Holt reiterates her intentions to support her community only to discover the true impact that both hate and love can have on the younger members of our community.
When reflecting on the death of a nine-year-old girl who was killed by crossfire in a gang-related shooting, Lucille came to discover that Reginald knew the victim. Thankfully, Holt’s video acted as a catalyst that may have very well changed the lives of Reggie, his 9-year-old brother and his 11-year-old cousins forever.
Within one month of the video being posted, Reggie’s business has been met with nothing but love from his community. Not only is the business page for Mr. Reggie’s Lawn Cutting Service overflowing with glowing reviews and requests for service, but a fundraiser put together by Lucille Holt to support the children has raised more than $48,000.
Reginald and his family plan to put the money to good use, expanding the organization to a year-round service. This story also marks a positive trend in reactions against racist behavior. While oppressive behavior continues to plague individuals throughout the country, people like Holt who are spreading awareness of the problem are allowing caring individuals to unite and make substantive changes.
In just the past year, we’ve seen Starbucks close its doors for racial sensitivity training, a community barbecue envelop a public park in support of a family, and real consequences in the professional lives of those that see fit to divert public resources away from real crime in order to bully and shame members of their own community.
While the reports of unfortunate acts centered around racism continue to surface, we can only hope that the good news of positive reactions and community-minded support continues to follow.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
