RED BLUFF, Calif. - A Red Bluff business owner is mad after discovering a Proud Boys sticker in front of his window that displays his Black Lives Matter sign.
Take a walk inside the Wild Oak store in Red Bluff and you will find tie-dye clothing, guitars, and even some old vinyl records.
"My wife and I bought Wild Oak in 2006 so we've been here for 15 years now," Wild Oak owner Doug Kelly said.
And within those 15 years, Kelly said he has never seen anything like this.
"Probably Monday morning, somebody shot paintballs at our windows," Kelly explained, "And put a Proud Boys sticker over our Black Lives Matter (BLM) sign here in the window."
Kelly feels like it was a message.
"It's more about intimidation and threats," Kelly said. "As far as I know, we have been the only one targeted, we are kind of different from the rest of the town."
Kelly admits that since he put that BLM sign up a year ago he has lost some business but for the people who stick around they say they are in full support of this business.
"They're such a quality long-term store," Customer Pat Johnston said. "The store is always nice, always respectful."
"We like the people in Red Bluff who support us. We got to say something when we see something wrong," Kelly said.
Kelly reported the incident to the Red Bluff Police Department, but finding the culprit could be tough since his cameras didn't catch anything.
But after this incident, he is going to change things.
"We are going to reposition one or two of the cameras and try and get the sidewalk in front of the store here covered," Kelly said.
Action News Now has reached out to the State of Jefferson group since the groups logo was on the sticker but they refused to talk with us.
"We take vandalism very seriously. It doesn't look like any damage was caused so this incident isn't considered vandalism. The owner also doesn't think it was a hate crime so we will monitor the location but no further actions will be taken," Red Bluff Police Sergeant Ruben Murgia.
The Proud Boys describe themselves as a “Western chauvinist” men’s club that believes in ending welfare, closing borders, and adhering to traditional gender roles, according to the Washington Post.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the group maintains affiliations with extremists and is known for misogynistic and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The State of Jefferson group is a proposed U.S. state that would span the contiguous, mostly rural area of Southern Oregon and Northern California, according to the New York Times.
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July 17, 2021 at 08:15AM
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Red Bluff store front targeted, Proud Boys sticker placed over BLM sign - Action News Now
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