Google Earth view of Reed Agency in Millinocket, Maine.
Google Earth
An insurance company in Millinocket, Maine, is facing an online reaction after a photo was posted on Facebook on Monday of a sign pasted on the door of the business that said: “Juneteenth ~ whatever. “We’re closed. Enjoy your fried chicken and cabbage.”
The image of the sign to insurance agency Harry E Reed, a subsidiary of national insurance company Progressive, was originally shared by a Facebook user named Alura Stillwagon, with the headline “racism in Millinocket is real.” The original post has been shared more than 100 times.
“I’m not angry. Anger doesn’t get you anywhere. I’m deeply, deeply disappointed,” another Facebook user, Ken Anderson, told the post. “In this business, the companies that let this business trade their products, and the city of Millinocket, in the state of Maine, and the whole damn country. Deeply disappointed. Why? Because I know we can do better “But we don’t try. And that’s the part that cuts deepest.”
For many businesses, Monday marked the celebration of June Day, a federal holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union Army soldiers arrived in Texas and announced the end of slavery. more than 250,000 black people who remained enslaved even after the signing of emancipation. Proclamation in 1863, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Since the image of the sign began circulating online, people have consulted the online review site Yelp to condemn the insurance agency, which has led to Yelp disabling users’ ability to post on the the company.
“This company has recently received a lot of public attention, which has led to an influx of people posting their views on this page, so we’ve temporarily turned off the ability to post here while we work to research the content,” an alert on Yelp of insurance agency Harry E Reed. the page reads. “While racism has no place in Yelp and we unequivocally reject racism or discrimination in any form, all Yelp reviews must reflect a real first-hand consumer experience (even if that means disabling users’ ability to ‘express the views that we might agree with.)). “
The agency received nearly 90 Yelp comments, mostly one-star, with many posters condemning the insurance agency as “racist.”
Jeff Sibel, a spokesman for Progressive, said in a statement: “We are aware and dismayed by the recent poster published in the Harry E Reed agency and we are ending our relationship with the agency.”
“At Progressive, diversity, equity and inclusion (IED) are central to our core values. We are committed to creating an environment where our people feel welcomed, valued and respected, and we hope that anyone representing Progressive will participate. “The sign is in direct violation of this commitment and does not align with our company’s core values and code of conduct,” Sibel said in a statement.
Millinocket City President Steve Golieb issued a statement Tuesday denouncing the signal.
“It is deeply sad, shameful and unacceptable for any person, company or organization to try to shed light on Juneteenth and what it represents for millions of slaves and their living descendants,” Golieb said. “There is no place in the city of Millinocket for such blatant contempt for human decency.”
The insurance agency did not respond to requests for comment.
President Joe Biden and the state of Maine signed bills in June 2021 that recognize Juneteenth as a federal and state holiday.