Neighbors Furious About Obscene Political Signs Police Say Are Constitutionally Protected

Jackson, MI – Residents in one Michigan neighborhood are furious that a homeowner has hung obscenity-laced banners in support of former President Donald Trump, and against President Joe Biden, on the front of their home.

Neighbor Steven Gilbert told WILX that he first saw the offensive banners pinned to the front of the house across the street on March 6. 

“F—k Biden, and F—k you for voting for him!” read one of the flags.

The other flag read “Trump 2020. No more bulls-t,” according to WILX.

“Saturday afternoon, we were getting ready to go out to lunch and sure enough, there’s the sign, and I’m like, really? That’s just so offensive,” Gilbert said.

He said he’s not offended by the politics – he’s a Republican – but finds the profanity on the banners offensive, WILX reported.

“It’s the word itself,” Gilbert said. “It’s not the statement that it’s making. It’s that word.”

So he told WILX that he called the police to see if they could make the owner take it down.

Gilbert said the police department cited the First Amendment.

A spokesman for the city told WILX that there is a city ordinance prohibiting signs that have obscene words, statements, or pictures.

The police department told the news station that it was consulting with the city attorney to see what they could do about it.

Michigan used to have a law that banned the use of profanity in front of women and children, but that was repealed in 2015, WILX reported.

Gilbert said he’s already seen parents and children spotting the sign as they walked down the street.

“I think it’s up to those people to take it down,” he said. “You know, it’s just offensive. Put ‘Stop the Steal’ or Trump 2024 or anything but just the f-word. Get rid of it.”

“It doesn’t belong in public – you know, you wouldn’t hang it on city hall,” Gilbert added.

The owners of the home have not made a public comment on their signs, according to WILX.

Other neighbors also said they objected to the sign and were offended by it.

The Police Tribune reached out to the Jackson Police Department form comment on the signs but had not received a response at publication time.