Elderly neighbor calls cops on 9-year-old for chalking 'Black Lives Matter' outside her own house

In yet another incident of an intolerant white person calling the cops on Black Lives Matter supporters, an Ohio woman rang 911 to report her 9-year-old neighbor.

Young Mira Acklin was showing her support for the Black community amid nationwide protests against racial discrimination and police brutality when an elderly neighbor named Billie called the cops on her. "I wrote 'Black Lives Matter. I think that Black and white people, they should be treated the same, and I wanted to show my support and how much I really care about Black people," the youngster told WSYX.

Mira’s mother, Jenna Acklin took to Facebook earlier this month to recount the series of events that led to police officers showing up at their doorstep. Sweet Mira asked if she could chalk “Black Lives Matter” to show her love. Absolutely! So proud of her kind heart! Aaaand, then 2 cruisers rolled up because the nasty neighbor called the police on my 9-year-old, she wrote. She reported people yelling and painting in the street. Mira was chalking by herself and I was reading on the porch swing. The deputies looked at the neighbor and said, "It's chalk." They also told us they agree with the statement "Black Lives Matter" and encouraged us to write it larger!

I told the deputies I was sorry they were called out and told them I care about their safety and appreciate the work they do. I do not regret letting Mira express herself. She is upset and scared but I explained Billie is an example of why we must speak up. Billie screaming "This neighborhood is going to hell!" over and over again because my daughter wanted to show love speaks volumes, Acklin added. I'm now thinking we need a Pride flag and a BLM flag. Thanks for the push, Billie!

Speaking of her encounter with the police, Mira revealed that she was really shaken up by the incident. "I was really scared, and I was also like crying, and my whole body was shaking," she said. The young girl revealed that although she'd initially been intimidated by the sight of the officers, they were supportive of her efforts and encouraged her to keep the mural going. "They said that I should do it more often, and if it goes away, then I should just do it more and more," she said.

"She said 'I've seen the police before, but they've never been coming to get me.' I said you know honey as uncomfortable as you feel, you also have to know your friends and other people of color feel this fear every day, multiplied times one-million. She couldn't understand why people would hate someone just because of their skin color," Acklin explained.

Unlike her bigoted neighbor, other members of the community have been extremely supportive of Mira and have been visiting the Acklins' house to admire her chalk art. Some even added onto it.

"It was alarming that we've reached a point in life to where we have to call the police on a third-grader who just simply wants to voice her opinion and voice her feelings," said Christopher Burton. "I think that's a very sad position of where we have come to be in this world."

His daughter Kelis Smith had expressed interest in getting involved with the Black Lives Matter movement and so when he heard of Mira's chalk art, they both showed up to add their own artwork. "I felt this was a really good platform where she can come out and help support another young lady as well, who is going through something at such a young age, to where they’d be able to voice their words together," Burton explained.

"This is a really important message that needed to be heard, to kids all over the place, kids, adults, everybody," said Smith. Mira now has big plans to spread her message on a wider scale. "I’m just going to make it bigger, and do it over and over again," she said.