Police in Shelby County, Tennessee are investigating a series of disturbing attacks at the homes of several prominent Republican politicians and elected leaders.
“This is the definition of terrorism,” said Lee Mills, a candidate for state representative in Arlington, Tennessee, during an interview on Memphis radio station KWAM.
“Our first thought was it’s finally come to us. You always see it on the news. That’s Minneapolis. That’s San Francisco. That’s Atlanta. And then you realize, no it’s Arlington, Tennessee and it’s not acceptable,” he told morning show host Robyn Walensky.
Amber Mills, his wife, is a Shelby County commissioner and has a pro-cop record.
The homes of Sheriff Floyd Bonner and County Commissioner Mark Billingsley were also vandalized.
The perps littered the yards with messages calling for the police to be defunded. They also smeared pink and black paint on the driveways and sidewalks of all the homes.
Mills said his family lives in an isolated area of Arlington leading him to believe they were directly targeted.
“It’s an invasion of our personal space and it’s not acceptable,” Mills said. “They invaded our personal space – our home.”
In July the Shelby County district attorney’s home was surrounded by an angry mob who blocked off streets in the neighborhood. They gathered up a number of American flags in her front yard and set them ablaze. At one point the mob shot fireworks at the roof of the district attorney’s home – hoping to set it on fire.
Folks may dismiss their concerns because no one was injured, but left unchallenged the vandals could cause even more harm.
“What’s next – are they going to set our flags on fire,” he asked. “Are they going to set the house on fire?”
Regardless, Mills said he and his wife are not going to be bullied. He said if nothing else they are both more determined than ever to provide funding for police.
“This probably backfired,” he told Walensky. “We will make sure police and first responders have all the tools they need to catch bad guys.”
