Someone knows who vandalized a homemade “Vote Obama” sign and turned it into a shameful reminder that bigots walk among us.
Abingdon attorney Chris Johnson and his 8-year-old stepson made the sign about three weeks ago and placed it so it was visible to motorists along U.S. Highway 19 and Briarwood Lane. Overnight Thursday, someone spray painted “KKK” and “kill” on the sign.
An effort aimed at teaching a child about democracy has been twisted into something that frightened him and blackened the eye of this region. Father and stepson saw the damage when Johnson was driving the boy to school Friday morning.
It has grabbed the attention of Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman, who is investigating and has called the Secret Service office in Roanoke.
“A good deterrent is to obviously locate the individual and charge him and let him know this won’t be tolerated,” Newman said.
Johnson called the vandalism “disgusting” and “a real shame.”
He’s right.
Obama officially began his campaign for president in Bristol, Va. Vandalism like this unfairly paints the region with its racist stereotype. Most area residents do not feel this way and do not sympathize with those who do. So turn in the person or people who did this. If you saw anything suspicious in that area or heard someone brag about the vandalism, call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (276) 676-6000. A reward could be offered in this case.
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