Dear Editor,

On Saturday evening, numerous yard signs were removed from private properties in Seneca.

This action is wrong in several ways: trespassing, stealing, disregarding or denying an individual’s freedom of speech and expression, and imposing a less than civil attitude and action on an citizen who is demonstrating his/her individual preference in a civil, nonthreatening or disrespectful,  manner.

A property owner can announce his/her support for a candidate with the mere appearance of a campaign sign — and not have to demean, bully, or exploit anyone in the process.  The positive signs that were removed spoke in favor of candidates — not against their opponents.

Citizens would like the signs returned. If you know who is responsible, if you know where they were dumped, or if you know the penalty of misdemeanors and felonies, someone might want to share what happened to them or return them in tact to me at 412 North Ninth, Seneca.

I encourage citizens to vote and participate in the democratic principles of our country’s and our state’s constitutions. My goal is to be civil, cooperative and informed.

No reasons — joking, vandalism, Halloween pranks, hatred, or cruelty — can be justified with destroying these costly items as well as compensate for the time, gas, cooperation, and energy that planting them required.    

At this time in our country, anyone could be acting on any number of motivations, enhanced, or not, by a substance, a prejudice, or a lack of knowledge.

Thieves, own your actions and return or replace the signs before the election.

JoLene Rae Bloom

Seneca