INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - It's an example of what can happen when neighbors unite.
Haylee Whitener is graduating from Lawrence North High School. Her proud Dad put a graduation sign in the front yard, which resulted in a letter from the Admirals Bay homeowner's association. He was told the sign was a violation of neighborhood covenants.
Dad then went to the Nextdoor app to share his story and found he wasn't alone. Other signs, like two in Amy Bush's front yard, also got flagged.
Amy is a teacher and her husband is a school principal. She says the people sending the notices are tone-deaf, wasting time, energy and resources during a crisis.
"I think right now, people need empathy and grace," Bush said. "So have you a yard sign up. We're celebrating, we are celebrating our healthcare workers, we're celebrating our seniors, we're celebrating our teachers, our essential workers."
"I mean, these people are risking their lives and their family's lives to help people, and all the HOA had to do was nothing," said Ray Peck, an Admirals Bay resident. "It was the easiest thing in the world. All they had to do is not send these letters out, but they chose the opposite."
After hundreds of posts, Susan Lew, the head of the Admirals Bay HOA, responded on Thursday, saying they would take a "pause" in code enforcement.
"We believe we underestimated the significance and importance of these sign displays and apologize if our actions appeared insensitive and uncaring. That was not our intention," Lew said.
The promise is no more code letters about these types of yard signs through the end of August.