What would you do if someone trashed the campaign signs on your lawn?
Clovis lawyer Patricia Brown wrote in Valley Voices Saturday about her outrageous neighbor, a guy I suspect has applesauce for brains demonstrating his high regard for aesthetics by tearing down the yard signs for Hillary Clinton that she and another neighbor had placed on their front lawns. Unbelievable! It's even more complicated because they live in a condominium complex, so there is a homeowners association to deal with. Do you have campaign signs on your lawn? What would you do if someone tore them down?
To read the entire essay, click here. This is an excerpt:
Hillary Clinton running for President is a big, big deal. Like Gloria Steinem, I'm not voting for Hillary because she's a woman, but because I'm a woman.But my neighbor discounted my sense of pride as an American, my sense of pride as a woman, my sense of pride as a voter. Displaying the American flag, especially in time of war, can be an act of courage. Apparently for my neighbor, he felt like displaying one's political preference in a democracy was on the same level as rubbish or graffiti -- a mere eyesore mandating him to rid the neighborhood of the encroaching blight.
Clearly, he violated our rights to free speech when he destroyed our signs. If the signs represented the black candidate and black households, his act of destruction might also be construed as a hate crime. What then is a just punishment for ignorance and insensitivity?
There was a midwestern town about 20 years ago where Jews were targeted for hate crimes. This wonderful town banded together and every one of the citizens, no matter what religious affiliation, hung stars of David in their windows in solidarity.
Let's take a cue from that town, Fresno, before the general election in November and the mayoral primary in June. Get your political signs out for your candidate of choice and make sure that they get displayed on your front lawn. Cost of a political sign? Five dollars. Seeing a small and insignificant man trying to tear all 600,000 of them down? Priceless.
Comments
It is unfortunate for our democracy that we have Nazi style acts that pervert our system.
I would suggest putting the sign outside in the day time when you have your windows open, and bring it inside at night.
Or put the sign inside your house window, it is less likely to be disturbed.
Maybe go around your neighborhood and tell the other neighbors what happened and be aware of the admitted vandalism.
Condos are a different creature like many of the the associations they have rules one of which is signs of any kind. I do not think the ruls of the association let anyone tear out out signs on there own, you may first recieve a verble warning or letter before your freedom gets violated.
Posted by: Rich | May 13, 2008 12:11 PM
Sara Robinson's piece really gets to the heart, " outright barbarism vs. the civil society"...http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/outright-barbarism-vs-civil-society
Posted by: swift | May 14, 2008 1:10 AM
Most boilerplate CC&R's for associations restrict yard signage and I have had to deal with it in our development. We speak to the offenders but if they don't want to abide by what they agreed to(the CC&R'S) when they purchased their property we don't go on their property and take their signs.We just accept them for the jerks that they are. On more serious issues we do take necessary action.It's no fun trying to get people to obey the rules they signed up for when they purchased their property(at times it's like running a kindergarten class) and you get little participation until someone's ox is gored...then they want you to do something about it immediately..I'm just speaking from my own experience from the past three years.
Posted by: Brian Murray | May 14, 2008 5:52 AM
If I caught someone on my property doing something they shouldn't be doing I would whoop their butt first and then call the cops for them trespassing. People just need to leave other peoples things alone and learn that everyone is entitled to their opinion even if it differs from theirs.
Posted by: Jackie Krage | May 14, 2008 5:16 PM
I think signs, not only on front lawns but also at freeway exits as well as street corners where drivers should not have visible distractions, should be removed by the city of Fresno. I know personally I will vote for the name of the person whose sign I see the least.
Posted by: Sean Dorman | May 15, 2008 3:16 PM
If I had a campaign sign on my lawn (I don't now, but may in the future), the City would have no business removing it. That would be a violation of my property and free speech rights. What is democracy worth if citizens can't visibly support the candidate of their choice?
That said, I see little value in signs on business or vacant property, or in the public right of way. A sign on someone's lawn, or a bumper sticker on someone's car, at least tells me that someone is not ashamed to support their candidate. A sign on a vacant lot tells me nothing about that candidate (nothing good, anyway).
Posted by: Mike D. | May 15, 2008 4:49 PM
Sean Dorman wants all political signs, everywhere, removed as "distractions".
I can recall a billboard in the LA area many years ago featuring a scantily clad woman that actually did cause a couple of accidents. However, a sign for Henry T or Duncan or Swearingen hardly compares. Let free speech govern, especially political free speech!
Posted by: dave provost | May 16, 2008 9:57 AM
Free speech in Fresno? Bet you believe in unicorns too...
Posted by: Katrina Reyes | May 16, 2008 1:11 PM
What would you do if someone trashed the campaign signs on your lawn?
I would thank God if that was the worst thing that happened to me. Check this out:
http://tinyurl.com/5fdn4e
Posted by: Marla | July 21, 2008 5:41 PM