So the last time I was driving through parts of the Jewish community and I saw heavily damaged election lawn signs, it was in the mid-80s.
The two candidates whose signs seem to have incurred the most damage were then Del. Arthur Alperstein and Del. Paula Hollinger. The candidates were running for State Senator.
The damage I remember was tantamount to a hate crime.
So driving along Park Heights Avenue with my wife on Monday, I came across what were left of Vicki Almond signs at Slade Avenue. Her name was almost skillfully cut from the sign and left on the ground.
Not a mile away, however, at the corner of Old Court and Reisterstown Road, Sherri Becker’s name lie on the ground as well, cut out the very same vicious way.
These two candidates are running against one another in a highly contentious race for second district County Council.
My question: I know sometimes I live in a vacuum, but why is it that it always seem that this sign damage happens in the Jewish community. If you drove by the signs and saw how Vicki Almond and Sherri Becker’s names were carved out of the signs, it made me think hate crime almost immediately.
The other brazen part of this is that it happened in very public locations. There must have been absolutely no traffic in those areas of Pikesville for anyone to get away with such a crime.
My question is what kind of person(s) could do such a thing?
Why is it in Pikesville and Owings Mills, there always has to be “something?” We just don’t seem to be able to have an election, we have to have a contentious election. We just don’t have signs up, we have to have signs with names cut out with surgical precision. I was almost relieved to hear that other candidates from other races were impacted as well.
Do these crimes happen with such regularity in other parts of Baltimore County?
It happened here right across the street from a synagogue in one instance.
I wish the Becker camp and the Almond camp would get together publicly in the center of Pikesville and condemn these horrible acts. Show solidarity against this.
Neither candidate should be afraid to put up a sign anywhere that it’s going to be desecrated in such a way.
You know what’s even scarier about all of this.
It’s like not enough of the public cares. Over the years, we’ve become numb to sign vandalism in the Jewish community. It’s like, no big deal. It happens.
Instead, there should be outrage. In this day of every inch of every road under video surveillance, I wonder if the police have these crimes recorded somehow. Let’s hope so.
The Almond team should be saddened that these events happened to Becker signs and the Becker team should be appalled that the Almond signs were damaged in this manner.
Once elected, the successful candidate is going to have to work with individuals on the other side of issues.
Here’s a chance to show real leadership for these two leading candidates.
Show condemnation for these acts…together.
Show the voters that you aren’t afraid to be allies in the face of this wrongdoing.
It would go a long way for both sides and really renew faith in many of the voters who are feeling estranged from certain campaigns.