close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

Campaign signs stolen and vandalized in Greater Lowell amid growing political tensions
aecifo

Campaign signs stolen and vandalized in Greater Lowell amid growing political tensions

Outside her Chelmsford home Monday, Patricia Pestana laughs as she shows off her crudely handcrafted presidential campaign sign. “Harris-Walz 2024” is painted in large blue letters on a large piece of plywood attached to his porch with rope.

Meanwhile, in his yard, on quiet Newfield Street, two signs warn: “Steal my Harris sign? Another donation to Harris!

There’s a reason for all this, as Pestana explains.

A few days earlier, around 3 p.m. on October 18, Pestana proudly placed two of the most traditional Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign signs in her yard – one on each side of the corner where she lives. The 73-year-old and her husband went out to dinner that evening and when they returned home around 10 p.m., they discovered that the signs supporting the Democratic presidential candidacy were gone.

The signs had only been up for hours before someone walked into their yard and stole them. Undeterred, Pestana grabbed some blue paint and created his own sign, much harder to steal.

“I feel like people are trying to intimidate us and silence us, and it’s very upsetting,” Pestana said, noting that she has lived on Newfield Street for 40 years. “It reflects the terrible division in our country and the efforts by some people to silence free speech.”

Pestana reported the theft to Chelmsford police and said she was informed by an officer that such incidents were not uncommon in the area.

Also in Chelmsford, for example, a large campaign sign brandishing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s name along Route 40 was violently slashed with a sharp tool. Further away, in Westford, a similar Trump sign was not only cut out but also defaced with red paint, bearing the message “Liberate Gaza!”

The theft and vandalism of campaign signs in Tyngsboro prompted Police Chief Shaun Woods to issue a statement on September 30 reminding community members that “these actions are not only illegal but profoundly counterproductive to democratic values.” who are dear to us.”

“I appeal to all residents to remain respectful,” Woods said. “Disagreements are natural and healthy, especially during elections, but resorting to vandalism or theft is not the solution. Let’s focus our energy on constructive dialogue and the power to vote, rather than property damage and conflict.”

A quick search of national news reveals that campaign sign theft and vandalism is a national problem in this intense and polarized election year.

The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday that a Missouri woman who had previously had Harris campaign signs stolen decided to hide an Apple AirTag on one of them in case it happened again. When the sign was stolen, she tracked down the suspected thief and discovered an SUV trunk filled with nearly 60 Harris/Walz campaign signs that had been torn down from yards.

The Tennessean reported Oct. 15 that Republican Party officials in Wilson County, Tennessee, were offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the culprit(s) behind the constant theft and vandalism of Trump’s campaign signs and JD Vance. One of the vandalized signs exposed in the story had the word “Felon” spray-painted over Trump’s name.

John Cluverius, a political scientist at UMass Lowell, believes that the particularly tense atmosphere among voters, reflected by actions such as the theft of campaign signs, is partly due to the fact that the presidential race is incredibly close by compared to previous elections. He noted that Hillary Clinton appeared well ahead of Trump on the eve of the 2016 election, while President Joe Biden appeared to have the 2020 election in hand.

UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion conducted polls in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Cluverius said the only reliable conclusion from the polls is that the race is very close.

“I think both sides think they have a very good chance of winning, and both sides are very, very nervous about things going one way or the other,” Cluverius said. “When people feel like anything can happen, I think the temperature really rises as Election Day approaches.”

Sign stealing and vandalism are certainly nothing new, but with the prevalence of cell phones and security cameras, Cluverius noted, it has become easier to record these crimes that otherwise might not have been reported. reported.

“I also think that, of the really pernicious long-term political actions, it’s probably the least offensive, but it’s still something that bothers people, especially when we’ve seen violent actions at the Capitol and at two assassination attempts against one of the main political actors. party candidates,” Cluverius added.

As for Pestana, no arrests have been made in connection with the theft of his signs. There was still some good news. On Tuesday, a neighbor informed her that he had found two Harris/Walz signs apparently abandoned in nearby Varney Park. Believing they were his, Pestana put them back in his garden and, as of Saturday afternoon, they remain there.

When asked what she would say to the suspect who stole her signs, Pestana said she would wonder why they deny her the right to express her opinion, when she would never deny them the right to express theirs.

“Do you think stealing my signs will change my mind?” Pestana said. “This only strengthens my resolve.”

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis