Update 10/29/2009: Phil Cohen has the following additional statement on this incident:
"I don't blame any candidate for stealing our sign, scaring my family, and trespassing on our property. I don't know who did it, and neither do the police. Hopefully, one day we will learn who is responsible, so you can share that information with the public." - Phil Cohen
More Campaign Thuggery - A "Sign of the Times" ?
Dawn Zimmer Banner before vandals ripped it downCampaign shenanigans are picking up. Here is an account from Phil Cohen about how a customized banner was ripped down from his an a neighbors home. Here is his account:
Tuesday night my wife and I co-hosted a meet and greet for Mayor Zimmer. More than 70 people stopped by and saw the incredible, 40 feet wide, 3 foot high, one-of-a-kind sign, hung between the Cohen/Kramnick and Abernathy homes. Below is a picture of it going up Tuesday afternoon.
Well, at 7:30 last night, while my kids were home doing their homework, people who can't stand the idea of Dawn Zimmer being the Mayor of Hoboken ripped down the sign. These people also damaged Jan and Jerome Abernathy's house light, when they ripped down the banner. We filed a police report last night.
It's amazing that people are so terrified of Dawn being elected Mayor.
You can see the strings left hanging from the windows at my home, where the sign once was.
-Phil Cohen
My Comment: I wonder if this is retaliation against Phil for switching his support to Dawn Zimmer after supporting Beth Mason in the first election in May. This is just a thought. Perhaps it was several youths affiliated as paid workers with a campaign or independent altogether. The Police don't know at his point. I do hope the police get to the bottom of this. It is one thing to rip down illegally placed signs on public utility poles but quite another to rip one down from someones home and actually damage part of the home. Also, the campaign HQ of each candidate should also be off limits. Let each candidate have their signage as long as it is properly placed. This extends to all citizens regardless of the candidate they are supporting. Again, signs on private property or campaign HQ should be left alone. If a citizen feels that signs are not hung according to code then they should contact the authorities and not take matter into their own hands (other than utility poles).
