Friday Five: Politics, Controversy, and a Dummy on a Billboard

Protest Sign--illegal immigrants

A controversial ‘deport illegals’ sign (image via Austin Daily Herald).

Friday, August 10, 2012 — A business in Albert Lea, Minnesota, displayed a large electric sign that read, “Catch and Release- No. Deport Illegals-Si.” Although it is unclear who the sign’s owner is, the intent is clear: to send a strong anti-illegal immigration message to other members of the community. To that extent, the sign has worked—citizens protested the sign. In response, the sign’s owner changed the message to read, “Check Dictionary, Illegal is Criminal. Wise up.”

Occupy protestor arrested holding a sign touting bank robbery (via LehighValleyLive)

 22-year-old David Gorczynski was arrested after strolling into a bank with two cardboard signs. One read, “You’re being robbed,” and the other, “Give a man a gun, he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob a country.”  Gorczynski participated in the Occupy Easton movement last year, and said he was making a political statement about bank fees. Despite there being  no indication that he wanted to rob the bank, he is nonetheless charged with two counts of attempted robbery and making terroristic threats—both are felonies.

billboard sign with mannequin on noose

A billboard featuring a mannequin on noose draws publicity (via Associated Press).

In another Occupy-esque stunt, a shocking billboard in Las Vegas read “Hope You’re Happy Wall St” along with a dummy hanging from a noose.  The sign was the second unauthorized sign spotted along the interstate highway. The other one read, “Dying for Work” and also displayed a dummy hanging off the edge. Motorists flooded the local police department, worried that the dummy was actually real.

Barrington Ave sign

Signs get a new make-over in Rhode Island (BarringtonPatch).

The Department of Public Works for Barrington, Rhode Island, has decided to replace the town’s traditional white signs with black letters with new, blue signs with white letters.  The blue signs feature a brighter reflective coating that emits more reflectivity than the previous white signs. The new signs also meet federal guidelines for size and reflectivity, and will be phased in once the old signs wear out.

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