Founder of local non-profit honoring fallen officers facing threats

The Cape Coral girl who founded "Blue Line Bears" says she and her family are facing death threats for supporting police officers in the wake of George Floyd's death.

(ADLIB TOS’THE FOUNDER OF A LOCAL NONPROFITIS FACING BACKLASH FOR HERSUPPORT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT,DURING THIS TIME WHERE OURCOUNTRY IS FACING UNREST AFTERTHE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD.YOU MAY REMEMBER MEGAN O’GRADY.AT JUST 14-YEARS-OLD, SHESTARTED BLUE LINE BEARS -- SHEUSES THE UNIFORMS OF FALLENPOLICE OFFICERS, TO MAKE TEDDYBEARS FOR THEIR FAMILIES.THREE YEARS LATER, SHE’S MADEHUNDREDS OF BEARS FOR THEFAMILIES OF FALLEN OFFICERS.BUT BECAUSE OF HER SUPPORT FORLAW ENFORCEMENT, SHE’S NOWGETTING THREATS AGAINST HERFAMILY.WE WANTED TO SHARE WHAT THEY’REGOING THROUGH -- BUT ALSO TAKETHIS ONE STEP FURTHER...AND SHOW YOU THE TRUE MEANINGBEHIND THE MOVEMENT SWEEPING OURCOUNTRY RIGHT NOW, AND WHY ONEACTIVIST SAYS -- YOU CAN SUPPORTEQUALITY AND BLACK LIVES MATTER,WITHOUT BEING ANTI-POLICE.131-143FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS,17-YEAR-OLD MEGAN O’GRADY SAYSHER NON PROFIT, BLUE LINE BEARS,HAS HAD ONE MISSION.MEGAN O’GRADY "to help thefamilies of fallen policeofficers by making teddy bearsout of uniform shirts of theFallen officer to give to thekids." 7 secFROM THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA INEUROPE, TO HAWAII, TO RIGHT HEREIN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, MORE THAN700 BEARS HAVE MADE THEIR WAYALL ACROSS THE WORLD.YOU CAN SEE JUST BY LOOKINGINSIDE THEIR HOME, BLUE LINEBEARS IS MEGAN’S PASSION.AND SHE POSTED ABOUT THATPASSION ON FACEBOOK, AFTER THEDEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AND THEUNREST SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY.MEGAN’S DAD IS ALSO A MASTERSERGEANT WITH CAPE P-D... SO INHER POST, SHE MENTIONED HERSUPPORT OF POLICE.THAT’S WHEN COMMENTS ANDMESSAGES STARTED POURING IN.MEGAN O’GRADY "It’sheartbreaking.

Like readingstuff about like, wanting my dadto be killed." 5 secMEGAN O’GRADY "I hope your dadgets shot in the face.

And thenlike, you all deserve to die,stuff like that." 5 SECSOME OF IT, EVEN COMING FROM HEROWN CLASSMATES.MEGAN O’GRADY "I’m glad thathe’s not on patrol anymore.

ButGod forbid on patrol anymore."I’m glad that he’s not MEGANO’GRADYOWN CLASSMATES.COMING FROM HER SOME OF IT, EVENlike that." 5 SECdeserve to die, stuff then like,you all shot in the face.

Andhope your dad gets shot in theface.

And then like, you alldeserve to die, stuff likethat." 5 SECSOME OF IT, EVEN COMING FROM HEROWN CLASSMATES.MEGAN O’GRADY "I’m glad thathe’s not on patrol anymore.

ButGod forbid someone finds us andactually goes through with itand I don’t think they would.But you never know anymore." 10secIT’S GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHEREMEGAN’S FAMILY DECIDED TO UNWRAPHER BLUE LINE BEARS JEEP FOR HERSAFETY.MEGAN O’GRADY "I was driving.And this just further provesthat we had to unwrap the jeep.The girl who’s sitting in thecar next to me started like,flipping me off and likescreaming at me and she likestarted to like reach for herdoor handle like she was goingto come out of the car and startlike trying to attack me.

Andluckily, I was able to like turnout so I could drive away but itwas like it was terrifying.

LikeI’ve never been in a positionwhere I don’t feel safe drivingmy own car." 28 secMEGAN WANTS YOU TO KNOW --MEGAN O’GRADY "We are not antiBlack Lives Matter.

We are notracist or anything Lives Matter.we are "We are not anti BlackMEGAN O’GRADYYOU TO KNOW --MEGAN WANTS YOU TO KNOW --MEGAN O’GRADY "We are not antiBlack Lives Matter.

We are notracist or anything like that.Blue line bears isn’t anythingpolitical at all.

It’s just agood gesture to the families" 13secSHE SAYS HER WHOLE FAMILY ISOUTRAGED BY GEORGE FLOYD’SDEATH.MEGAN O’GRADY "my whole familyis completely against whathappened.

It completely against"my whole family is completelyagainst what happened.

It hurtsus because it’s putting my dadin a position where it makes himlook like a bad person when he’snot.

And so we hate it.

We hatewhat happened." 14 sSO AT FOX 4, WE WANTED TO TAKETHIS STORY A STEP FURTHER, ANDEDUCATE.

SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVEBEING PART OF THE BLACK LIVESMATTER MOVEMENT... MEANS YOU AREAUTOMATICALLY ANTI-POLICE, OROPPOSED TO ORGANIZATION’S LIKEBLUE LINE BEARS.

BUT I TALKED TOA COMMUNITY ACTIVIST WITHIN THEMOVEMENT... WHO SAYS THAT’S NOTTHE CASE.16-25CHANTEL RHODES - COMMUNITYACTIVIST "This movement is aboutequality, and fair policing,proper policing.

And I want tomake sure to get that messageout that this is not an attackon police officers, the globalmovement... we recognize not allcops are bad cops.

However, wecannot ignore the systemicracism that has been embeddeinto our law enforcement intothis nation in general." 28 secCHANTEL RHODES SAYS IT’S TIME TOPUT AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITYAND POOR POLICING FOR GOOD.CHANTEL RHODES "How many timesare we going to have to seethese stories before somebody,leadership on Both sides willintervene and say, Okay, this isnot right.

And we will addressit properly the first time sothat we don’t have to see theseries this outcry" 15 secSHE SAYS THERE NEEDS TO BE MORTRANSPARENCY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT,SO PEOPLE OF ALL RACES CAN TRUSTPOLICE COMPLETELY.CHANTEL "with law enforcementsaying, hey, when when somethinghappens with one of ourofficers, there, terminationsare taking place or otherdisciplinary measures are takingplace" 12 SECBUT SHE SAYS THE FIRST STEP --CHANTEL "we have to be willingto come to the table and havethose difficult conversations.If people listen, they willrealize that hey, we’re not sodifferent after all.

You cancare about black lives and andracism in this country and poorpolicing, and also be in supportof police officers who are doingtheir job who are serving ourcommunities who are giving itall that they have," 29 SECSHE SAYS JUST AS YOU CAN SUPPORTBOTH SIDES, YOU NEED TO ALSOHOLD BOTH GROUPS ACCOUNTABLE,TOO.CHANTEL "the people have to beaccountable for their actionAbsolutely.

We do see that, butalso law enforcement has to beaccountable too" 7 secAND EVEN THOUGH SHE PERSONALLYHAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THETHREATS MEGAN FACED, CHANTELEVEN WANTED ME TO INCLUDE, THATSHE HERSELF EXTENDS AN APOLOGYTO MEGAN... AND SAYS SHEAPPLAUDS HER WORK IN HELPINGPEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING.

CHANTELHAS ALSO BEEN MEETING WITH THE