Miriam Pickens/For the Gazette A Biden/Harris sign on Bridge St. in Houghton lies in shambles after being vandalized recently.

HOUGHTON — While a pro-Trump sign on Front Street was defaced with vulgarity two weeks ago, such acts are no in no way one-sided. In fact, Janeen Stephenson, a Democrat supporter, said that just since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Sept. 18, the chair of the Houghton County Democratic Party estimates more than 100 hundred Biden/Harris election signs have been stolen. That does not include those which have been defaced, damaged, or otherwise vandalized.

Stephenson, said she herself has had four signs stolen and one vandalized.

“The signs I had stolen were handmade,” she said, adding that they had required more than five hours’ work each to produce. “We even screwed one high up in a tree to deter theft, and that one was taken as well.”

She said she is no longer willing to display her hand-painted signs just to have them taken.

“They are bolted to fence posts,” she said, “and pounded into the ground. So, in order to steal those signs, they have to pull fence posts out of the ground. And that’s what they’ve done.”

In one night, she added, seven signs were stolen from her friend’s yard.

Stephenson said that it is saddening that some people feel they have the right to strip others of their right to support their favored candidates, and that through people stealing signs, they have stolen the landowners’ right to Freedom of Speech. Feeling very strongly that her message is just as important as anyone else’s, she and her friends have felt compelled to display their signs while protecting them at the same time.

“Being discouraged by having my signs stolen,” she said, “I have been taking my Biden sign to the bridge many times each week, in effect becoming a living sign.”

Stephenson said she does not condone the defacing, or stealing, of any signs.

“I was extremely disheartened to read your (Oct. 2 DMG) article and see the photo of the defacement of the sign,” she said. “I have appreciated your work for many years.”

Miriam Pickens concurred with Stephenson, saying carrying her sign is the only way to keep it from being stolen.

“Several of us have been marching with signs on the bridge and sitting with them in Miner’s Park,” she said, “simply because we feel we have to be present with them for them not to get stolen.”

Stephenson referred to the Oct. 2 DMG article in saying that the article quoted law enforcement officers who say they are seeing no more stealing of signs than in other years.

“That has not been my experience,” she said, “or the experience of others placing Biden signs out.”

Pickens again concurred, telling the DMG: “We would like to give you some of the information on our signs being stolen, and want it to be known that we are experiencing more of this now than in other years.”

Stephenson said that when she had displayed Obama/Biden signs years ago, none of them were stolen or vandalized.

Stephenson and Pickens both agreed that while the Oct. 2 article had mentioned community leaders discussing an increase in anger and hatred with this election cycle, that is not how they feel.

“(I am) frustrated and yes, I am angry, but I have not an ounce of hate,” said Stephenson. “We realize that this is a small group of people who are doing this, but we have no animosity toward those who say ‘I support our president.'”

Pickens spoke in a similar vein.

“We would like to stress that we acknowledge that most people in our community respect the right of all of us to express our political beliefs,” she said, “and we believe that it’s most likely a small group of people who are doing this. We have reported these incidents to the police, and they are cooperating with us on this matter as best they can.”

Stephenson respects those who support the president. The members of the Houghton County Democratic Party organization and the presidential supporters have very different ideas of how to get the country’s needs met, and what the strategies are, but they acknowledge basic humanity, and they are not expressing hatred.