St. Louis business owners say stores vandalized over police support

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- The owner of an antique store in St. Louis says she is being targeted because she supports the police.

Elder's Antiques' owner told KTVI the harassment started last summer when she put up an American flag with a blue line. She said she found a note on her business that said, "Pig supporters not welcome. The flag goes down or you go down."

Owner Cherri Elder said after she took the flag down things calmed down. But now that she's flying it proud again, the intimidation has returned.

"It really does make me more sad because whoever's doing this does not understand the freedom of speech," Elder said.

Even so, she says the flag will stay.

"That flag is staying up even if we have to have it painted on the boards. That flags staying up, ain't coming down," Elder said.

The incident follows one at another nearby shop called DeMay Antiques and Furs, where the store had a window kicked out. That store was proudly flying four American flags supporting police, and those flags were stolen.

The owner thinks both shops were targeted because of their support for police.

"Early that morning some girls said, well we'll just have to see what we could do about them. Something to that effect, it was on the Facebook page. And then she came down, took my flag, went running off with it. And somebody saw her and she took it and threw it in the dumpster. Payback's hell. I'll just let the law take care of it. I'm not breaking the law. They are," DeMay Antiques And Furs Owner Shirley DeMay said.

Police said they were able to recover some of the evidence.

"Hopefully we'll be able to get some fingerprints... the note that was attached. There was an additional note found in the alley behind the business," police said.

No arrests have been made in either case.