Elections chairman resigns after removing and defacing Trump signs in South Carolina



A neighborhood dispute in South Carolina over campaign signs escalated after an elections chairman and his wife removed and defaced "Trump-Pence" campaign signs.

Dean Smith was the chairman of the Georgetown County Board of Voter Registration and Elections up until his resignation this week. Constituents questioned whether Smith was fit to lead the elections commission following an incident where he vandalized Trump signs in Pawleys Island.

"People that called are concerned about the voting process with [the Smiths'] positions," said Karol Anderson, who chairs the county Republican Party.

Smith, who has been a member of the elections board for 15 years, resigned abruptly this week after admitting that he and his wife removed and defaced Trump-Pence campaign signs.

After his pro-Trump signs had been removed several times, a resident filed a police report with Georgetown County Sheriff's Office. The resident set up a deer camera on a neighbor's property to catch the culprit. The camera caught Dean and Rita Smith taking a Trump sign and defacing another sign by writing "Dump" above President Donald Trump's name.

The resident provided Georgetown and Beyond News with screenshots of the suspects, who shared the images with its readers. Someone identified the sign stealers as Dean and Rita Smith.

Last week, the resident told Rita Smith, "Smile you're on candid camera," according to the Coastal Observer. Smith was unsure what the meaning of the comment until she saw photos of herself on social media.

Dean Smith said the dispute originated over a homeowners association rule that prohibits signs on private property. Rita Smith is an HOA president, and said she and another board member asked the resident to remove a pro-Trump flag because of the rules. He refused, and Smith alleges that the man yelled at them "in a political tirade."

"This is actually an HOA issue. We have regulations against the signs," Dean Smith said. "The people that reported this, put a sign on someone else's property without their knowledge, and they insulted and attacked my wife who is the HOA president and asked them to get rid of the signs. The camera that took our picture was also put on someone else's property."

Rita Smith admits, "Our emotions got the better of us," regarding vandalizing the Trump signs.

"We regret this lapse of judgment on our part. I do not want to be a distraction to the conduct of this very important election," Dean Smith said. "It was because we were angry with the other resident."

Anderson commented on the sign drama, "If you drive around the county I don't think you can find 600 [Trump signs]. They cost a lot of money. I don't care whose signs, it's a candidate's signs."

Anderson added, "People with a lot of responsibility should have a lot of accountability."

"I've always prided myself that when I walk in that door I'm not a Republican or Democrat," Dean Smith said. "I'm just an American and a Georgetown County citizen."

Massachusetts Trump supporter installs electric fence around Trump 2020 signs after thieves keep stealing them



A Massachusetts Trump supporter grew tired of people coming onto his property and stealing his political yard signs advocating for President Donald Trump's re-election. Now his signs are surrounded by an electric fence.

And so far, it's working.

What's going on?

John Oliveria, 54, of New Bedford had had it with people stealing his Trump 2020 signs — so he decided take on the thieves by installing his own preventative measure.

The lifelong Democrat who recently jumped ship and joined the Republican Party told WJAR-TV that at least six pro-Trump signs had been snagged from his lawn.

He said he filed two police reports, but nothing was done. So he took measures into his own hands.

Now there is a small electric fence surrounding his lone Trump 2020 sign.

"It's a shame that I have to do this," Oliveria told WJAR. "I believe in the president. Obviously, people didn't like that."

"Horse wire carries a charge," he said. "It will certainly will send a message."

The disabled 20-year Navy veteran said that a few weeks after he first started displaying the Trump signs in his yard, they began disappearing — and in broad daylight, he told South Coast Today. He said the signs were on his lawn when he left in the mornings but were gone when he returned in the afternoons.

After filing the police reports he decided he was "done with it" and had had enough, WJAR said.

"I'm just trying to make a statement and say what I believe in," Oliveria told WJAR. "Our country is about different opinions and being able to voice those opinions in a fair and equitable manner.

"And when you're taking people's signs, that's not fair and equitable," he said.

Oliveria told South Coast Today that the 3-foot-tall, triangle fence, which is solar powered, looks terrible and that he expects his neighbors will complain about it. But he said he didn't know what else to do.

He figures he has lost about $100 worth of materials because of the thefts, South Coast Today reported.

Is it working?

For the last two weeks, the sign with its protective fence has stood untouched.

"You have to be able to respect each other, because we'll never get anything accomplished if you don't," he warned.

"Don't mess with my right to free speech," Oliveria told WJAR.

Colorado police seek woman who reportedly attacked a 12-year-old boy over his pro-Trump sign



Police in Boulder, Colorado, said they are seeking a woman who allegedly assaulted a 12-year-old over his sign supporting President Donald Trump.

The incident unfolded on Monday at about 3 p.m. according to a police report.

The boy, who was left unidentified, was riding his bike with a pro-Trump sign when he says that a woman riding on a moped passed him and then took a u-turn in order to confront him about the sign.

Boulder police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh said the woman told the boy, "you want something to look at?" or something similar before she punched him.

Aulabaugh said the woman hit the boy with her closed fist on his head, and give him several more blows. She also scratched him after he fell to the ground.

The boy told the police that the woman attempted to steal his sign but that she was unsuccessful.

Boulder police are seeking a white woman in her twenties or thirties. She was wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and a tan jacket at the time of the alleged attack. Her moped was colored blue or gray.

The boy told Denver7 News that it wasn't the first time he had been attack for showing his support for the president, but that it was the first time he had been attacked by an adult.

"I like showing what I believe in," he said. "I didn't want any conflict – I just wanted to show what I believe in."

He said that he was afraid to show his support for Trump because of the troubling incident. His father added that he wanted to press charges against the woman if she is identified by the police.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Boulder Police: Woman Assaulted 12-Year-Old Boy Over Trump Signwww.youtube.com

Liberals write nasty letter to first-generation American neighbor who put a Trump sign in her yard



A group of smug liberals allegedly wrote a letter to a first-generation Mexican-American immigrant neighbor of theirs ostracizing her for displaying a sign supporting President Donald Trump in her yard.

Conservative Fox News contributor and Townhall.com political editor Guy Benson posted the letter on Twitter Saturday, which was reportedly sent to him by a friend.

"A friend texts me this letter," Benson wrote in the tweet. "It was left on their neighbor's home because they have a Trump sign in their yard. The bad people here are those who wrote/approved this trash. The author(s) should look at themselves."

In the letter, the liberals, who referred to themselves as "your neighbors who dare to be different," sarcastically "thanked" the woman for displaying the Trump sign because it "[made] it impossible for us to ignore how you truly feel about us as your neighbors."

"They make abundantly clear to those of us who are women, people of color, immigrants and those who may worship or love differently than you that you simply do not care about us at all," the letter continued.

Update: Guess who lives in the house with the Trump sign, according to the woman who initially went public with the… https://t.co/KT8gefe0HV
— Guy Benson (@Guy Benson)1598723836.0

In an update to the post, Benson passed on more information that he received from his friend that noted that the woman was the child of Mexican parents who came to America through a legal immigration process and that the entire family are Trump supporters.

"We know that in our times of need, if we are scared or hurting, we cannot turn to you for help because you hold no charity or grace in your heart for us," the letter continued. "You make it clear by these signs that you neither respect us as humans nor believe we are entitled to equal protections and rights under the laws of this great country. You do not believe that we deserve life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness, that we are not really Americans to you, simply because we may not look like you or share your beliefs."

"So again, thank you for showing us the prejudice and hate that truly fills your heart and telling us so proudly that although you may be our neighbor, we are not equally yours," the writers said.

But they weren't finished.

In the letters postscript, the liberal neighbors had to take one last jab — this time at the woman's supposed Christianity.

"P.S. If you believe yourself to be a Christian (which we assume is also likely), thank you for further proving that you do not hold true Christian values or follow the teaches of Christ, who preached love & acceptance for all your neighbors."

"We sure hope you enjoy the heat!" the letter finally concludes.

It is interesting — and apparently lost on the writers of the letter — that for all the intolerance that they presume in their neighbor, they are the ones who truly exemplify intolerance for people who are different.