ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Owners of a North Carolina jewelry store are apologizing for a controversial billboard that some people believe encourages domestic violence, WLOS reports.
The billboard reads, “Sometimes, it’s ok to throw rocks at girls…”
The owners of Spicer Green Jewelers in Asheville took to Facebook Thursday afternoon to issue an apology:
To whom we have offended with our recent billboard, please accept our apologies. We do not condone violence of any kind toward any being. We are humble enough to realize when we make a mistake and humble enough to realize the context in which we are speaking. We did not intend to cause controversy and our billboard communicated something we did not intend. We intended the billboard as a play on words to encourage the loving act of gift giving and are deeply saddened that it offended anyone.
Eva-Michelle Spicer, who owns the business with her husband Elliot, says she never intended for the billboard to be taken wrong.
“The billboard was intent (sic) to be a nostalgic thought of a childhood teaching,” Eva-Michelle Spicer told WLOS. “That it’s not ok to throw rocks at girls, it’s not ok to throw rocks at anyone… It saddens me that it was taken that way because it certainly wasn’t intended.”
Through Sunday, the store will donate 10% of its sales to an Asheville domestic violence survivors shelter.
A group is planning a protest outside the store on Sunday and the organizer says they’ll continue to protest until it comes down.
