LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Ukrainian woman said she is "offended" by a letter from her homeowner's association that advised her to remove from her front yard a sign reading "Pray for Ukraine."
"It's stupid," Svitlana Duychak said, standing in front of her home in the Wellington subdivision. "It's useless. Why [would the] homeowner's association spend their time and energy to do a job like this?"
The letter, which was delivered to her neighbors by mistake, includes a picture of the sign in question, as well as a citation of an association rule that reads, "No signs of any kind shall be displayed on any lot, with the exception of For Sale or Rent signs."
In the next paragraph, the letter reads, "Please remove the sign."
All Points Community Management delivered the letter on behalf of the Wellington Homeowners Association, Inc. An email to the company was not returned Thursday. A representative who answered a phone call from LEX 18 declined to comment.
The letter warned that if the sign was not removed, the issue would be referred to the "Association attorney."
"Nobody has a problem [with the sign]," Duychak said. "Just the homeowner's association."
Duychak, who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded in February, is relieved to be home with her family in Lexington, but her attention and care for her home country have never wavered.
"I still want people to be aware that there is a war in Ukraine," she said. "So be grateful for what you have and pray for Ukraine."
Duychak removed the sign from her yard and taped it on the back of her van.
Her neighbor, Thomas Bice, made a similar decision years ago after he said he received a letter from the homeowner's association advising him to remove a sign. He moved the sign, which reads "We respect and support Lexington Police," to his fence.
"They just said I had to remove it because it violated their policies," Bice said.
Bice spoke to LEX 18 in front of his fence, which now also features a sign in support of Ukraine.
"I despise the homeowner's association," Bice said.
