— from Cindy Carter —
Early Wednesday morning, campaign signs of candidates currently actively campaigning were vandalized by those bringing hate to the island.
Timothy Hazelo, Kim Wyman, Loren Culp and Joshua Freed are all candidates currently in a campaign and will be having signs all over the 2nd Congressional District. Hazelo, Wyman and Culp made the top two for their various races, and Joshua Freed has announced his plans to run as a write in candidate for Lt. Governor. Campaign signs have also been vandalized on San Juan Island and Lopez Island.
Previously on Orcas Island, political signs had been removed from
locations. After being reported to the police for theft, this activity
stopped. The current activity has also been reported to the sheriff’s
office. Hate has no place in these islands. We hope that this will not
be a recurring event.
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I believe all the signs at issue were placed at the intersections where signs do not belong!!! Placing your own signs at your place of residence is one thing, but placing them as if they are the only ones at the intersection is wrong!
i do not see why campaign signs need to be up for 6 months in an election year. they are a blight on our natural scenery and should only be allowed to be up 4 weeks before a primary and 3 weeks before a general election. The rest of the time we should not have to look at them.
I think it is overstating things quite a bit to characterize painting NO across a political sign as hate. In a lot of places, these signs are basically on public spaces anyway and to paint NO on them is simply another political statement in my opinion. Also, it might behoove these GOP candidates to see this sort of thing as the handwriting on the wall, that a lot of people have had enough at this point and are no longer content to sit back and do nothing.
Merry–
I believe that the ordinance that set a time limit on political signs was ruled unconstitutional (although I have quarantine brain and don’t have time to check the details right now). Also, the areas where the signs are usually placed (apart from private property owner’s choice) are places considered to be a public forum. The same areas have had signs for decades.
That said, I really dislike having to see the signs for another three months, and always hate to see people attempting to shut down other people’s speech.
My personal inclination is to take into account the fact that someone has put their signs up in mid-August for a November election and vote accordingly.
Stewart–Really? I’ve never heard that reasoning before. Seems pretty inconsistent with the 1st Amendment. How about making a sign of your own and posting it nearby?
Peg, I am not sure why you would think it is inconsistent with the amendment. To have destroyed completely, or entirely removed the signs, then yes I would agree with you. But the signs were left in place with simply NO written across them. I am afraid I still see that merely as a counter political statement, not involving hate or restricting the sign owner’s wish to put the signs there to start with. Also, please don’t assume that I personally would deface a sign in this manner simply because I have expressed an opinion as to why some people might. I feel I was speaking from a relatively unbiased independent position and I don’t like to see free speech or expression of opinion restricted from either direction. I think many within the local GOP will agree with my statement that they need to take note of these incidents. Many perfectly decent local GOP candidates will likely pay a heavy price in November for what is transpiring at the national level right now.
The irony of the tank corner being vandalized with a threatening “Tourist Go Home” message, while right in front stands a sign that has long proclaimed “Hate Has No Home Here”, was not lost on me. Was it lost on you? I heard many people on here supporting that “Go Home” message. I actually had an urge to stop and apologize to the next tourist that I saw.
Then I saw a car driving around the island with the same message painted on it. I was doubly embarrassed. And on this forum that car received praise and support. In the past I have traveled to many places where I was a tourist, and if I had seen something like that there, I would have felt a little bit “Hated”.
The open animosity towards off-island home owners, vacation rental owners, conservatives and tourists, and basically anyone who doesn’t exactly agree with your opinions on how things should be run, is just . . .
. . . Embarrassing.
P.S: For what it’s worth, I don’t think political signs should be put on public property either,
Embarrassing.
I have now lived on Orcas Island for a majority of my life, and I have never been more embarrassed to be a local than I have these past couple of months.
Lately, the open displays of hatred, intolerance and bigotry have left me saddened. This forum has long been a haven for those people, so I grew used to it here. But now it seems to have spilled out into the real world.
To condone the targeted vandalizing and removal of signs, for the party that you do not side with, and to try to call it free speech, is hatred, intolerance, and bigotry. You are so blinded by your beliefs that you don’t even want to see other people’s ideas.
Peg Manning is correct regarding the change in the sign ordinance. The following is excerpted from the San Juan County website:
“The result of the amendments to San Juan County Code and Ordinance 2-1998 is that political signs will be exempt from the sign code regulations without conditions.”
Although I don’t generally like signs, I do believe that we should be tolerant of all points of view and maintain a respectful dialogue. Signs should be accepted, or at least tolerated, as long as they are posted in accordance with the law.
I also think we would all be better served if we did our best to minimize the hyperbole in our commentary and stick to a more accurate and less dramatic presentation of the facts and our opitions, regardless of our various persuasions.
While I, in no way condone vandalism in any form, I find it somewhat ironic that people who support candidates from the party whose leader has used hate and intolerance to divide this nation are rankling when it’s turned against them.
Hate has no place on our island. But how is it that folks who support a President who stokes hatred and divisiveness on a daily basis are suddenly concerned about hate when it’s turned on them?
How are folks who support a sheriff who refuses to enforce state law, because it goes against his personal beliefs (Loren Culp), upset about people not following laws when it suits their purpose? How exactly does that work? As the Bible says – do unto others as you will have done to yourself.
I also find it interesting that the author of this letter fails to state their affiliations to these candidates – which is well known. Would they be as upset if an Inslee sign was defaced?
I wonder if the author would have been similarly upset if she knew that Hillary signs were removed from my (then) business property within 24 hours of being placed, or the “Lock Her Up” signs were illegally placed on several utility poles around the island in 2016. Two wrongs certainly don’t make a right, but selective outrage is simply annoying.