Theft of yard signs sabotages free speech

Waseca County DFL party chair Deb Hogenson wants people to consider the bigger picture.

“Stealing yard signs is more than just a prank,” she states. “It’s interfering with free speech and with the democratic process.”

 

County Republican party leader Robert Tackett observes, “Even when politics are heated, it’s wrong to interfere with the right of free speech, and that includes supporting the political candidate of your choice.

 

“I condemn the act of interfering with democracy by stealing political signs.”

 

City Chief of Police Kris Markeson notes that the dollar value of damages determines how serious a crime is under the law. Theft of any property is automatically a misdemeanor; if the accumulated value of stolen items reaches a certain threshold, it becomes a felony. 

 

DFL leader Hogenson has conferred with local law enforcement regarding the repeated disappearance of political yard signs supporting DFL candidates; she mentions that in a few cases, property owners are on their third set. According to Tackett, no corresponding thefts have been reported regarding Republican signs.

 

Markeson says that most of the people who have contacted Hogenson for replacement signs have apparently so far chosen not to report the disappearances to the police department–with one exception. A Waseca resident experienced what was apparently intended as a prank when a dozen or more signs, the majority of them for democratic candidates but some advertising local businesses and services, were placed on his yard overnight.

 

Markeson suggests that citizens may wish to install security measures to discourage thefts. Cameras which help identify the miscreants will help make it possible to charge, and perhaps fine, individuals for their actions–which may discourage others who are thinking of taking signs.

 

He also observes “Waseca is a strongly connected community; we treat each other with respect and can expect each other to do what is right.

 

“That shouldn’t change just because we disagree with someone else’s political choices.”