Police: Black Man Put Target in NAACP President's Yard Because It Looked Like a Flower

A strange development came Monday in what had been a distressing story calling to mind some of the darkest chapters in Nashville's history. 

Police arrested a man they say is responsible for placing a plastic toy target in the front yard of Nashville NAACP President Keith Caldwell's home over the weekend. A media release from the Metro Nashville Police Department says the 63-year-old man — Roy E. Brown, who is black — "told detectives that he has known Caldwell for a number of years and thought the plastic game target resembled a flower that would like nice in Caldwell’s yard." 

The homes of Nashville's black civil rights leaders have been targeted before, most famously in the bombing of Z. Alexander Looby's North Nashville home 50 years ago. But the latest development has given this story a different frame. In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, Caldwell wrote "from the information I have, this event does not appear to be a [racialized] act" and that Brown "appears to have mental health issues." Caldwell says he wants the case to be heard in mental health court and for the man to receive treatment if he needs it. 

When Caldwell initially reported the target on Saturday, he was upset by the interaction he had with a responding officer. Officer Eric McCoy came to Caldwell's home, and according to a Facebook post from Caldwell: "then shrugs his shoulders and said that he, 'thought the target was pretty cool.' I informed him that I am the local NAACP President and have deep concerns about what this could mean for the safety of my life and the lives of my family members. I expressed him that it concerned me that he was so flippant about the matter."

In their media release announcing Brown's arrest on Monday, the Metro Nashville Police Department acknowledged the exchange:

There was a disagreement between Caldwell and the initial responding officer, Eric McCoy from the North Precinct, after McCoy, who graduated from the MNPD Academy in 2018, said the target looked “cool.” McCoy reported that Caldwell returned to his residence and contact between them ceased. A Matter of Record report was subsequently completed. Extra patrolling in Caldwell’s neighborhood began Saturday night.

In an interview with the Office of Professional Accountability today, McCoy said that he meant no disrespect to Caldwell and understands how his words were misconstrued. Caldwell and McCoy have agreed to meet each other in a mediation session at the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center to talk through their meeting on Saturday night.