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Obama Sign Theft In Tampa Spurs Creative Retort

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Published: October 23, 2008

TAMPA - When several Seminole Heights residents noticed last week that their Barack Obama signs were missing from their front yards, they decided to relay a message to the sign snatchers.

"You can steal our signs but not our votes."

So say the freshly painted placards that are popping up along West Fern Street near North Florida and North Central avenues to replace the 19 Obama-Biden signs that went missing.

"This election is turning kind of crazy and scary," said Peter Fingar, 62, a lifelong West Fern Street resident. "This isn't Nazi Germany. Let people express their opinions."

Fingar noticed his and his neighbors' Obama signs had been removed from their yards about 11 p.m. Oct. 16. Angry residents talked about possible retaliation against John McCain and Sarah Palin supporters in the neighborhood, said resident Lenard Sheffield.

"Caveman solutions" such as taking McCain signs - or even taking a baseball bat to the signage - were discussed, but Fingar's next-door neighbor came up with the classy solution, Sheffield said.

Police did not have a report of the Oct. 16 incident, but it is not uncommon for campaign signs to go missing in a presidential election year, Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

Three painted signs have been posted so far on West Fern Street, with one on North Central Avenue, Fingar said. More are in the works to replace the stolen signs, he said.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.

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