Oct 25, 2008 10:39 pm US/Central
Man Fed Up With Vandalism Of His Campaign Signs
(WCCO)
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Dan Gust said as soon as he puts a sign up, someone else is taking it down.
CBS
With a little over a week before Election Day 2008, things are getting a bit heated, and not just on the campaign trail. Vandals are busy damaging campaign signs across the Twin Cities. One Vietnam veteran said he has had his signs damaged four times in the past month.
There is no question which candidates Dan Gust supports in the upcoming election. McCain and Coleman campaign signs are lined up across his Lakeville property. But lately, as soon as he puts a sign up, someone else is taking it down. His signs have become a target and Friday night was the worst yet.
"They knocked the sign down and pushed the flag over and left a doll underneath it with the back cut open, painted with blood or something [that] looked like blood. Then [it] had feces or something inside of it," said Gust.
Gust isn't sure what the doll means, but as a Vietnam veteran the flag is personal. He put it up after the vandals struck the third time thinking it would keep them away. So now he is taking a different approach. This time, instead of replacing all the signs that were damaged, Gust decided to put up just one.
The sign reads, "These are the people that want to lead our country. God bless America."
"That's kind of sad," remarked Gust.
Gust said he isn't backing down. On Sunday he will replace the broken signs with new ones.
"It doesn't matter in my mind; it doesn't matter whether it was an Obama sign, McCain sign. You don't have the right to go onto people's property and destroy it," said neighbor Perry Busch.
Neighbors like Busch and Gust's family continue to support his cause even though they are worried about his safety.
"All I want to do is stand behind my guy just like anyone else. They are trying to prevent me from doing it," said Gust.
Gust actually makes signs for a living. He said the more they destroy the more he can make. He is the only one on his street that had this kind of damage.
Police say if they make an arrest they are looking at filing misdemeanor charges of vandalism and possibly harassment charges.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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