By Eli Higgins – KAKE TV
WICHITA – Residents of Willowbend near 37th and Rock in Wichita woke up Monday morning to a big surprise.
“I noticed that the sign had changed overnight… I stopped and looked at it, and I could see that it had obscenities on it,” said a Willowbend resident.
The homeowner, who didn’t want to be identified, couldn’t believe what someone did to the sign he put in his yard in support of President Trump.
“It’s pretty graphic. Most of these are not one-liners, but one word… It’s hate. It all spells hate,” said the resident.
He found one side covered in words like “Rapist, racist, dumber than a 5th grader,” the other side had large, bold letters saying “F(expletive) Trump 2020.”
He drove around the neighborhood to find several more President Trump signs vandalized. Signs in support of former Vice President Joe Biden were left untouched.
“Political speech is at the core of the First Amendment privilege. Everyone is free to express themselves. And no one has a First Amendment right to suppress the speech of another by physical threats, destruction, damage, defacement, or violence,” said criminal defense attorney Dan Monnat.
Monnat said a crime like this could not only carry typical charges like criminal trespassing, damage to property, and disorderly conduct but could even potentially be considered a hate crime.
“Interfering with the core constitutional rights of another person is always a serious matter,” said Monnat.
As for the Willowbend resident, he said his biggest hope is that people can learn to be kind, even when they don’t agree.
“It’s fine to disagree. I mean, that’s, that’s part of what, what makes this country so great. But you have to do it in a respectful manner. And be law-abiding about it,” said the resident.
See full story at KAKE.com