You can join us in spirit..
A few years ago, in the little town of Worthington, PA, along US 422 about 50 miles east of the Ohio border - and about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, a local businessman put up an electronic billboard and populated it with a rotating set of messages that were even too controversial for this ruby-red town in a generally scarlet county. The borough passed an ordinance that limited the size and brightness of billboards, on grounds of protecting drivers from significant distractions. The December 2019 regulation also prohibited "messages, advertisements or solicitation for any person or entity" other than that on which the sign is sited. The original sign was on the property of the local fire department - most members of which strongly supported the extreme right-wing messages on the sign, but who also were the folks who would be responding to accidents resulting from distracted driving - so the ordinance stood. And, to the best of my knowledge, no local politician lost their jobs over it.
But then in early 2021, this businessman, John Placek, the owner of a local convenience store, found a spot just outside of the borough - and put up bigger and bolder signs. Cycling among religious messages were virulently critical representations of President Biden, Vice-President Harris, and Speaker Pelosi, along with messages of "death and destruction caused by rioters and other criminals." (Of course, those images didn't feature any January 6 mob content... apparently the 1/6 images didn't feature enough melanin.)
To quote a local news article at the time the billboard returned, "Many in the public and online deemed Placek's messages as being racist and in poor taste."
A few weeks ago, Mr. Placek leased a small plot along US 422 in Butler County, about 10 miles west of his original signs. He began cycling messages that included:
- "WHITES ARE UNDER ATTACK STOP IT NOW" with a side panel "STOP teaching critical racist (sic) theory to our kids"
- FBI THE GESTAPO (with a huge swastika - yes, the German banner with a black diagonal swastika in a white circle on a red field)
- GOD'S LAW - "marriage" one man - one woman (with as disturbing [to him, I'm sure] of an image as he could find of two kissing men)
- other messages proclaiming "WHITE American History"
- And several other messages that to my eyes - and, thankfully, to many here in Butler - are not only racist and homophobic but also vile and boldly triggering.
In reaction to these signs, the Armstrong County Democratic Committee purchased a long-term rental of a billboard near the Worthington sign, with a message
"NO MATTER
- what you look like
- who you love
- what your religion
- where you're from
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ARMSTRONG COUNTY"
That billboard lasted only DAYS.
The company from whom they had leased the billboards (Huntington Billboards of Greenville OH) told the Democratic Committee that the owner of the property on which the billboard stood was getting death threats, and they cited a provision in the lease contract that allowed them to take anything down that was objectionable.
Objectionable.
There are several other little twists to this story - such as the owner of the original billboards offering to "rent space on HIS billboard" to the Democratic Committee "for a fee", saying he's "all in favor" of free speech and was surprised that it was taken down. (Crocodile tears? You decide.)
But one hopeful one is this:
This Sunday, February 19, the Butler Clergy Network is hosting a "Love Your Neighbor" gathering in the public square of the little city of Butler, PA. We'll be featuring a variety of speakers - the local Anglican priest (who is a retired bishop), the leader of B'nai Abraham (the local synagogue), several other clergy, an advocate for people with MH/MR diagnoses, a District Governor of the Rotary who specializes in teaching businesses about DEI, and the director of the local YWCA (whose organization has a major focus on fighting racism). We will feature a wrapup speech by a pastor of color (notable, because this is a rarity in our little area) who will speak of how we hope to bend the arc of sentiment towards community and shared respect for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
In case you’re wondering — yes, we expect to have local media present and yes, we will have police protection (though we are just about certain that some levels of local law enforcement are less likely to be enthusiastic about our gathering).
In addition to the lineup of speakers, we will have poems and singing; we had considered “rehabilitating” the great Gullah song “KumBiYa” — personally, I think it’s time to reclaim it from the cynics and the folks who would mock peaceful and loving intent — but this was voted down by the organizing committee with a suggestion “Maybe in another twenty years we’ll be ready for that song again...” So we’ll be singing “What a Wonderful World” at the end of the program.
But we will also have signs and posters to give out. We hope over time to flood the store windows in town - and yards - and fields - with these signs below like the daffodils that will be blooming soon. And though we know that the hate speech is likely to continue, we also know that speech of love and community will also be heard.
