WHITE CLOUD, MI — Across the nation, reports of stolen yard signs keep popping up.
We previously told you about the man in Massachusetts who went as far as putting up an electric fence after his President Donald Trump signs were stolen several times.
A Newaygo County man is taking different measures, after his Joe Biden signs were stolen.
On M-37 in White Cloud you can find a billboard, which will soon look like a giant Biden yard sign.
A strong political statement in rural Michigan from some folks who say, they are “sick of having their Biden signs stolen.”
“We want to put out signs, this is America, freedom of speech, you know that kind of thing,” Marshall Stern told FOX 17.
Marshall Stern says this all started after he placed eight Joe Biden signs along his property.
“I put them out, I distanced them and you know, I'm aware of it we're in Trump country I get it. Everywhere you go, all you see are Trump signs. So, you know, I put out my eight signs, I put them along the road. The very next day, one of the signs was stolen,” Stern said.
He was a little annoyed, but even more so from what he found the following day.
“The next day, three of the signs were run over with a car and thrown in the ditch.” Stern said.
Within a week, all eight signs were taken and were nowhere to be found, according to Stern.
Though not to be deterred he got another sign and trail cams to keep an eye on the property.
“Within two days, the sign was mangled, and the trail cams were stolen, they were gone. So that was it, I was feeling really angry,” Stern explained.
So that’s when Stern came up with the billboard idea, a harmless way to get back at the alleged thieves.
Though the price tag was just that, pricey.
“Especially for political signs they charge top dollar, I couldn't afford that. But I started a GoFundMe. Within three days we had enough to rent one. Figured why not? Let's go for another,” Stern said.
With over 100 donations, they raised enough money for not just one, but two billboards.
The second one is already up along M-37 near Grant.
“Basically, the billboard is a huge yard sign,” Stern said.
Signs that can't be stolen.
“To me, that's justice,” Stern added.
Marshall says that his old yard signs would have been seen by a few hundred people, whereas the billboards may be seen by a few hundred thousand before November.
