A Montana sheriff's scripted post about 'an accent' elicits online tumult, response

"Good afternoon, Sanders County residents," the post read. "We have met and spoken with Sinija Loze. She works with Families for Education. She is a college student from Latvia doing her summer job selling educational products by Southwestern Advantage. We have verified her information, she does have a accent but is a very nice lady. Her vehicle is a Grey jeep. No need to be alarmed if you see her."

The post got hundreds of reactions on Facebook, and many commenters were either confused or angry.

"I'm genuinely confused about the purpose of this post?" one of the top comments read. "Are people in Montana 'alarmed' by someone with an 'accent'? Literally everybody has an accent."

Someone else wondered if it was the "accent" part or the "selling educational products" that had everyone "on edge."

Many comments were either xenophobic or assailing the sheriff's office for implying that people with accents were to be feared unless told otherwise.

The odd part, however, is that the woman had presented the Sanders County Sheriff's Office with a script, basically, of what to write. And she's given it to other sheriff's offices in Montana, who have also obliged her.

By July 11, the original post from Sanders County had been deleted. The Sanders County Sheriff's Office then posted a response.

"Earlier this week, a young woman who is working in Sanders County as a door-to-door salesperson came in to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office voluntarily to introduce herself, present her credentials and help prevent any confusion or unnecessary concern while she was working in the area," the post read.

The post went on to say that deputies had "determined that she is legitimately conducting business in our country."

"The intent of the post was never to stereotype, demean or judge her based on her nationality, ethnicity or accent," the second statement read. "It was intended to support her request ... and reassure residents who had contacted our office with concerns. Unfortunately, the attention surrounding the post has had a very real effect on the young woman involved. She returned to our office today in tears after experiencing hostile interactions wile working, including people yelling at her and aggressively telling her to leave."

The post went on to say "disagreement with door-to-door sales does not justify treating another person with hostility or cruelty."

"We recognize that the wording of the original post was interpreted differently than intended," the statement continued. "For that reason, the original post has been removed. We hope this clarification provides the full context and reminds everyone that there is a real person at the center of this situation who deserves to be treated with basic courtesy and respect."

In an email to the Missoulian, Sanders County Sheriff Shawn Fielders said that the woman presented the phrasing.

"The post we put up per her request was the exact same post that Sweet Grass County posted for her," he explained. "She actually supplied a copy of their post for us to use. That included the part about the accent, she does have a very strong accent and is at times hard to understand so she requested we leave that in the post."

Also, the Carbon County Sheriff's Office posted the exact same wording on June 15, including the part about the accent.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office made a similar post, noting the color and model of the students' cars, but didn't mention the accent.

The Laurel Police Department also posted a similar statement about a different woman from Latvia, using nearly the same language. The woman was also selling educational materials, like study guides for the ACT.

"Lilija is driving a white Dodge and has an accent, please do not be intimidated by that," the Laurel post reads. "If you are not in interested, she will thank you for your time and leave you in a good mood."

Of course, there were plenty of comments on that one too. Some questioned why the post was necessary.

Valley Neighbors of the Flathead, a nonprofit that works to support immigrants in the Kalispell area, chimed in about the Sanders County post.

"When Valley Neighbors works to make the Flathead or our region a more welcoming place for immigrants, we sometimes get pushback from folks who take issue with the idea that our communities actively grapple with xenophobia and racism," the organization wrote on social media. "Earlier this week, the Sanders County Sheriff's Office made a pre-emptive post about a young Latvian woman who would be going door-to-door as a salesperson. While we certainly can defer to the Sheriff's Office about their intent, the language they used likely fell short in tone and intention. In (the post) you'll likely see a lot of cringe xenophobic comments expressed in the comments thread. This incident, in a variety of ways, shows how far Montana has to go."