WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – This political season is raising the temperature across the country. Wausau police are reminding people to respect the property, and signs of others.
One Wausau man had the sign for his candidate of choice vandalized.
During the 2016 election cycle, Kurt Hase had his Hillary Clinton sign ripped out of the ground and thrown on his lawn. For this one, he says he is taking it personally.
Hase was in his house when his political sign was vandalized. He asked to not be on camera for safety reasons. He says his signs were up for only a day before the damage happened.
“The other signs that I had, Democratic signs that I had, were tossed into the street, and torn up a little bit. But this sign with Harris was actually lit on fire,” Hase said.
Hase believes many factors play into why people vandalize political signs.
“They’re motivated by anger. And maybe they’ve been told that other people on the other side are actually like, evil,” said Hase.
Wausau police say if you are worried about your political signs getting damaged, you can put a camera in your yard. If someone damages a political sign, police say they will face consequences.
“Misdemeanor crime, depending on the price of the sign, but if you also damage it in turn, it could also be criminal damage to property,” Wausau Police Officer Cody Holder said.
Holder says to respect the property of others. He says at the end of the day, we all have a right to put what we want on our property.
“We live in America and people can express their views and their opinions about political candidates about political candidates on their own property. So, let them do that,” Officer Holder said.
Officer Holder says your political signs must be taken down no later than seven days after the election.
For more information on how to report political sign damage, you can click here.
Copyright 2024 WSAW. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
