- Home
- News
- Opinion
- Letters
- Sports
- Prospecting
- Essentials
- Obituaries
- Real Estate
- Comics
- Gallery
- Classifieds
- Advertisers
- Coupons
- Contact Us
Share Article
880
245880245
On Tuesday, the United Democrats of El Dorado County and the Placerville Democratic Headquarters held a press conference at the site where a Barack Obama campaign sign was vandalized.
It was one of dozens that have been vandalized during this election season, said Betsy Kerr, manager of the Placerville Democratic Headquarters, who added that the same thing took place four years ago, “but it is much worse this time with more incidents of racial hatred including use of the N word.”
John Garon, member of the United Democrats of El Dorado County, said he parked his truck, with Obama signs on the top of it, at a local grocery store. Another shopper said , “Why are you supporting that N…..?”
United Democrats Vice President Richard Kerr reported he and his wife are among the victims of a rash of attacks on Obama campaign signs. “We secured two Obama signs with wire to a tree and a metal post so it took a considerable effort and time to remove them, but another sign about a proposition we put up remains untouched.”
Kerr said one local police officer said that the incidents reported about Obama signs included one being set on fire.
Gloria Smith, 90, lives at 3273 Sacramento Street, where the press conference was held at the base of the vandalized sign. Despite being a registered Republican, Smith enthusiastically supports Obama and allowed her son, Kirk Smith, to put up the sign.
“I made the sign very secure by bolting a 3 by 6 foot strong fabric banner on a nearly inch thick sheet of 5 by 8 foot plywood which was secured to two 4-inch wood posts buried in the ground,” said Kirk Smith. During the past weekend, the bolted fabric banner was ripped and an effort was made to remove the posts. He has since added 200 pounds of concrete to hold the posts in place and ordered a larger banner to replace the damaged sign.
John McCoy, president of the United Democrats of El Dorado County denounced the vandalism “for smearing a great area inhabited by wonderful, honest, hard-working people but also a haven for at least a few ignorant bigots. It’s an offense against American principles of freedom and the good name of this community.”
“No accurate account on the political vandalism is available because not all Obama signs used in the area are from our office; we have no way to contact those who have signs to follow up, and most victims we find do not report these crimes to police, discounting them as petty crimes,” said McCoy. “But we have a first-class police department here and we urge people to make reports about any sign of political crimes.”
“People need to report sign vandalism by calling the police,” said Kirk Smith. “When you call, a report is filed and there is a record. I grew up in Placerville and hardly ever heard the ‘N’ word, but now I hear it frequently.”
Chairman of the El Dorado County Republican Party Dallas Sweeney said that he had not received any reports of vandalism to the signs for Republican candidates. “During the primary, we had damage to two small signs for congressional candidates,” said Sweeney, “but they were more acts of mischief.”
Sweeney said he knows the work that goes into putting up signs for candidates. “It’s disappointing that people would be so disrespectful to destroy candidate signs,” he said. “We seem to have an attitude of meanness pervading society these days.”
Greg Jones, campaign manager for Joseph Hoffman, judicial candidate, said some of Hoffman’s signs were damaged in the spring before the primary. In the past week, others were removed or damaged in the Divide area. “When someone trespasses on private property with the intent to damage signs, it’s not only against the law, it’s reprehensible,” Jones said.
Contact Wendy Schultz at 530-344-5069 or wschultz@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @WSchultzMtDemo.
The Mountain Democrat does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy
Martin MorrisonOctober 25, 2012 - 2:08 pm
During the primaries, I had several signs go missing from my yard and had a couple of lawn-job style attacks as well. For the stolen signs, I just assumed that somebody had a higher visibility place to put them and went on with my life. I guess I should have alerted the media and called-out the National Guard.
cookie65October 26, 2012 - 5:11 am
Was this a report about missing signs or a full fledged endorsement of obama?
Jim RiordanOctober 26, 2012 - 9:37 am
Looks like we are on the same page again Cookie 65. I am against any vandalism against anyone's property,for any reason. However my response to Gloria Smith is absolute awe at her remarks: “It’s not a matter of being pro-Democrat or pro-Republican but being pro-American, defending the constitutional rights of free expression, freedom of association and the right to seek redress of grievances.” Excuse me but this sign represents, to many people, Obama's absolute and deliberate trampling of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. To the point of absuridty. He has used his "knowledge" of both documents to make his non-stop end-runs around both during his entire term. And he was supposedly a professor teaching about the Constitution?? All the more shame on him. Ms. Smith would like to see the vandalizing stopped. I don't blame her, I want BOTH the vandalizing of the signs and the person doing all the illegal end runs around the Constitution and Declaration both stopped. Mitt may not be everyone's favorite for president, but the fact that he knows more about business than how to side-step,ignore and trample on the Constitution works for me. Ms. Smith, I would just stick with your anger about the sign vandalism and don't try to paint Obama as anyone who would care about the Constitution. He has "vandalized" that document for his whole term.
Ken SteersOctober 26, 2012 - 2:57 pm
I don't listen to Rap so I have little opportunity to here the "n" word. But I must say John Garon obviously here's it everywhere. Grocery stores Home Depot, Costco. 3 different instances that I've seen him discuss in this paper with no corroborating whitnesses. I'm glad he's not in charge of wolf patrol.
DB SmithOctober 26, 2012 - 3:22 pm
People like Garon perpetuate demeaning remarks and incidents by lying and they try very hard to exploit racial hatred so they can make themselves (or party) APPEAR to be a better person. It only takes a half educated person to listen to their words to notice that their actions are that of a racist. After Garon's last lie, his buddy Longhofer backed him up and dissed the entire El Dorado County and then backed off and reduced his diss to Main Street Placerville. I guess he got what he was going for. Pretty sad doings.
RichOctober 27, 2012 - 8:37 am
Justice for all is not equal when it comes to campaign signs in El Dorado County. When last RAY NUTTING ran for office one of his campaign signs on Missouri flat road which was illegally placed partly on the county easement and private on property owned by Ralays Stores, who have a no sign policy, was vandalized. Regardless, a prompt response was received for Sheriffs D’Agostini’s office. Two Sheriffs department investigators showed up and interrogated employees of every business within site and inquired about surveillance cameras.
edh momsOctober 29, 2012 - 8:50 am
I have seen every form of "dirty campaigning" in El Dorado County - which amazes me. I thought I moved into a community of "educated adults" but now see that I stand corrected. I have seen in the last 3 months at least a dozen Judge Stracener signs vandalized by spray painting in the teeth, creating a beard, mustache, and horns (AND EVEN WRITING IN THE WORDS: "HE'S SO GAY") How childish - doesnt the Hoffman team it only reflects a bad image to himself. Hey, he did not have to hold the can or marker....but those closest to him have done the damage. And if I recall correctly, that time the signs were cut to schreds.....It was just about all the signs in the intersection of Harvard and EDH Blvd. Shame, shame.....evil citizens of this beautiful community. It only makes a few bad eggs to make the whole carton smell!