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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Crime & Police : Elections & Legislation |
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Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
Current rating: 0 |
by another citizen unimpressed with Mayor Tod's regime
(No verified email address) |
01 Nov 2004
Modified: 04:32:50 PM |
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Continuing with the Satterthwaite campaign to suppress freedom of expression in Urbana -- sponsorship of regressive at-large councilmembers, keeping Democracy Now! off UPTV, suppression of a documentary questioning police conduct against young African-Americans, etc -- the Urbana police see no reason to take reports on the rampant theft of yard signs. |
Continuing with the Satterthwaite campaign to suppress freedom of expression in Urbana -- the mayor's sponsorship of the proposal to insitute regressive at-large councilmember elections, keeping Democracy Now! off UPTV, suppression of a documentary questioning police conduct against young African-Americans, etc -- the Urbana police see no reason to take reports on the rampant theft of yard signs.
The first theft from my yard, of a sign supporting a Green Party Candidate for County Board, occured last night. I shrugged it off and replaced it with another.
After being away for three hours this afternoon, I returned to find both the Green Party sign I replaced last night gone as well as another calling for regime change in the US.
So I called the non-emergency police number to file a report. "Well, we're not really taking reports on that," the clerk told me. I asked if this was because there was a wave of such thefts. The clerk admitted this was so.
I guess it is up to citizens to report those who they see stealing yard signs, whatever party or cause they are for, whether it is a description of the criminal, the license plate of a vehicle they might be using, etc.
Otherwise, eventually citizens will become so disgusted that they are likely to take the law into their own hands. At this point, even a generally peaceful person like myself is liable to go ballistic if you get caught in my yard near my signs.
It is really sad that the police cannot put a little more effort into preventing this predictable behavior. Citizens shouldn't have to videotape their yards and install alarms on their signs in Urbana, as one friend has been forced to do. The exemplary punishment of a few of the political operatives who engage in this criminal parctice will go a long way toward discouraging the epidemic of political lawlessness fostered by the Satterthwaite regime.
On election day,we can vote No on at-large to undermine the mayor's disreputable and anti-democratic regime. Next year, we'll have a chance to do something about the man behind Urbana's slide into disregard for political process and the law. |
This work is in the public domain |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by 9-1-1
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
01 Nov 2004
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Oh my gosh, someone is stealing election signs a day before an election! Call the media! What's next, smashed pumpkins in roadways around Halloween.
Tod must be behind all of this.
I heard that Tod stole Christmas in Whoville before he became mayor of Urbana. |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by just curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
01 Nov 2004
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where do you live? |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by 1-1-9
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
01 Nov 2004
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And what's worse, Tod hired thugs to steal common sense from certain parts of Urbana!
This epidemic of political lawlessness has to stop! If the police won't take reports of sign theft on the eve of an election, what's next? Refusing to arrest folks who rake their leaves into the street? Turning a blind eye to the guy who wears Hush Puppies instead of Birkenstocks? I heard they even turned loose a kid who bought a Big Gulp instead of a double-latte! |
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Targetted Payback |
by another citizen unimpressed with Mayor Tod's regime
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
01 Nov 2004
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No, 911, I did not call 911 or expect more than a report being taken. Failure to even take a report simply hides the problem, instead of creating the basis for public awareness of it. However, your dismissive attitude toward my civil liberties exactly mirrors that of the mayor's.
This failure to act is also symbolic of the obsessive concern that the police have with many victimless crimes, but their lackadiasical attitude toward violations by one person against another in a number of respects that undermine American values. There is no more sacred right for us than the right to express a political opinion without interference. It is as if little Osama's are traipsing through our yards, stabbing at the heart of what we hold dear and the police couldn't care less.
People may not be able to do anyhing about your smarmy smugness or about those who steal signs to suppress the opinions of others. But we can all do something about the mayor, who has done an abysmmal job of leadership when it comes to respecting the views of others, as can be seen from his abominal record in suppressing the free exercise of civil liberties. And yet he still grasps for even more power. The man is dangerous to our community.
BTW, when I encouraged people to act when they see this happening, it was a purely non-partisan request. I may not agree with the few neighbors I have that display Bush/Cheney signs, but I sure as hell would act if I saw someone trying to suppress their rights by stealing their sign. As I noted, if public tolerance for such BS was replaced by vigilant protection of each other's rights to free expression, this problem would tend to go away.
Additionally, if some of my signs disappear again, then the ones I have supporting Democrats will disappear, too, into my own trashcan. I will not support the party of those who are unwilling to speak out against this practice and discourage their own supporters from engaging in it, even though I may support individual Dems when I go to vote.
Unfortunately, Tod has provided exactly the wrong example for people to model in Urbana. We could use some better leadership here. Him, we can do something about, both tomorrow and in next spring's city election. |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by LOL
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
02 Nov 2004
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Little Osama's?
Calm down everyone. "another citizen" is obviously some GOP provacateur sent here to make us ont he left look silly . |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by Roger Ebert
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
02 Nov 2004
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After the blockbuster success of "My Favorite Wal-Martian," "Konflict Konspiracy," and "Hypocracy Now" with its classic chair-throwing scene, I had high hopes for the latest cinematic installment in IMC Films' critically-acclaimed holy war against Tod Satterthwaite. Alas, "Dude, Where's My Yard Sign?" fails to deliver. Great acting, stunning visuals, and a cameo appearance by Karl Rove (as Black Helicopter Pilot #2) can't compensate for a laughable plot...even moviegoers wearing tinfoil hats will snicker when Mayor Tod (Alan Rickman) orders Chief Adair (Denzel Washington) to declare open season on yard signs. So with regret I say "thumbs down" and hope for a quick return to the high-flyin', crowd-pleasin', mud-slingin' , Tod-hatin' comedy we've come to expect from the artists at IMC Films.
"Dude, Where's My Yard Sign?" is now playing at the Grassy Knoll Cinemas, West Urbana Multiplex, and the Independent Media Center. Rated R (Strong Language, Brief Nudity). 370 minutes. |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by wayward
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
02 Nov 2004
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even moviegoers wearing tinfoil hats will snicker when Mayor Tod (Alan Rickman) orders Chief Adair (Denzel Washington) to declare open season on yard signs.
Damn, I knew we should have held out for Kevin Spacey as Mayor Tod. |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by me
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
02 Nov 2004
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Sign theft is equal opportunity. it's done by everybody. it happens in towns even where tod is not mayor. i would hope the police have more important work to do than stake out your yard |
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Re: Campaign Sign Theft Rampant -- Tod's Police Shrug Crime Off |
by cmb
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
03 Nov 2004
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Side note: Isn't it interesting that Kathy Harris's 'vehicular assailant' is in line for a couple decades of hard time in the pen, but the guy who Tod's boys let go scot free for doing the same to the local protestors is running around town shooting his mouth off about it with impunity? |
