Student Steals Political Yard Signs Prior to Election

*Names changed to protect identity.

After her friend’s “Black Lives Matter” sign was stripped from her front yard, junior Kate Miller* felt the need to retaliate. And seeing that the house across the street had a “Trump Pence” sign in their yard, her suspicions were up. 

In our divisive political climate, especially during an election year,  there’s always debates between groups with different ideologies. But with this year’s Black Lives Matter protests and the arrival of “BLM” signs in people’s yards, the shift from mere political policy debates to the fight for basic human rights has ignited a fierce grudge match.

“I saw the Trump sign across the street, so I just decided to [steal] it in the moment,” Miller said. “But I don’t know for a fact that it was them.” 

Miller didn’t feel she needed reason other than her disapproval of Trump. According to Miller, she wasn’t the first to disapprove of that particular house’s yard sign. 

“I was at [my friend’s] house a few weeks ago and I saw another group of girls take the sign and stomp on it, but the owner put it back up,” Miller said. “So I decided it was time for it to go.”

Social media and TikTok especially have been spreading the adventures of the Gen Z activists and teen supporters of the BLM movement as they steal signs — primarily “Trump 2020” and “All Lives Matter” signs, and it’s given these crafty activists the opportunity to send a message. 

“I wanted to repaint it to say “BLM” or “Love Everyone,” some positive message, and then put it back in their yard,” Miller said.

Sophomores Mary Jones* and Jane Smith* had a mission similar to Miller’s. While the pair were driving to Walmart on Sept. 19, they decided it was the perfect opportunity to protest, stealing the Trump sign at night to avoid the risk of getting caught.

Videos of teenagers documenting their thievery is where their motivation came from, as well as their disapproval of Donald Trump. 

“He wants to take women’s rights away and he’s very racist so I just want to rid neighborhoods of Trump signs because they’re trash,” Smith said.

While sign stealing can be of certain political appeal to protest, there are some flaws to the act that became apparent after the theft — despite it also being a crime. 

This “Sign Stealing War” just reinforces the country’s divide, the sign swipers feel, as it does continue the pattern of invalidating people’s personal viewpoints.

“I didn’t really think it through that much,” Miller said. “Technically they have the right to have their own opinions so maybe I shouldn’t have stolen it.” 

But Smith feels that Trump supporters tend to aggressively silence Democrats and liberals, so she feels it was better to peacefully steal a sign and redesign it than verbally abuse someone who disagrees with her. 

“I feel like what I did was just a small act of my opinion,” Smith said. “I didn’t want to do something too extreme.”

Even though the sign thieves know this is unethical, they feel it’s a peaceful and easy way to voice your opinion in your community. 

Miller, Jones and Smith are all educated enough to recognize their disagreement with Trump’s ideals, but since they can’t vote, this gives them a voice.

“The Trump sign is currently painted over as a “BLM” sign and is in my front yard,” Smith said. 

In the eyes of Miller, Jones and Smith — the ultimate goal is to spread love and support BLM. Stealing a Trump sign just provides them with the tools to do so.