Homemade political sign mentioning Obama, featuring noose causing uproar
REDGRANITE, Wisconsin -- A homemade political sign is causing an uproar in Redgranite, Wisconsin. The sign mentions President Barack Obama and shows a hangman's noose with the phrase: "Hang in there, Obama." The signmaker says the sign is being misinterpreted.
The sign is a car stopper and a conversation starter. Cars stop on Highway 21 and drivers take pictures.
"It's definitely a very big eye catch for people driving past. A lot of people find it offensive," Rachel Kern said.
From further away from the sign, many can only read the larger print of the message: "Hang Obama," and can only see the outline of the noose. Up close, smaller print says: "in there." Thus, the messaging has some confused.
"I'm not really sure if it's supposed to be for Obama or against him. Because if you actually read it, it's like keep up the fight. But with the noose, it doesn't exactly say keep up the fight at the same time," Kern said.
Thomas Savka made the sign and says he is pro-Obama. He says he even put that in small print in the corner of the sign.
"It's my attitude for it. Everybody's picking on Obama. It's the attitude of 'hang in there, buddy!' It isn't over until you're done kicking," Savka said.
Some who have stopped to take pictures of the sign say with a picture of a noose, the sign has racial implications of lynching.
Savka says that wasn't his intent.
"This has nothing to do with color. It's to get people's attention. If they're taking that direction from it, they're not reading the sign," Savka said.
Neighbors say despite freedom of speech, the sign is in poor taste.
"He could have just put it on there without the noose," Kern said.
A spokesperson from the Obama campaign released a statement saying: "This type of imagery is inappropriate and has no place in public discourse around elections."