“It probably happened overnight, but I can’t say for sure,” said Bethe Goldenfield, chairwoman of the Warren County Democratic Party.
She said she realized she forgot to cover up the cardboard cutout, recalling past years of vandalism, and when someone made it back out to the fairgrounds, the display was partially destroyed. And the response Goldenfield said they received when they reported the vandalism to the fair board in the heavily Republican County “was less than desirable.”
“It was something like, ‘What do you expect us to do?’” Goldenfield said.
Then on Tuesday evening, booth workers had some unruly teenagers, maybe juniors or seniors in high school, “screaming and yelling” at the volunteers. Goldenfield said they were yelling racial epithets about Obama, and claiming superiority over blacks. A report wasn’t taken, but the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, which provides security for the fair, was contacted. Deputies told Goldenfield they’ll keep a closer eye on the booth.
Gene Steiner with the Warren County Fair Board said they do have security monitor the booths at the fairgrounds, and very rarely are booths vandalized. He said when something does happen, “it’s very minor.” He said vandalism typically occurs when something is left out by a vendor, though they are encouraged to stow items out of sight to discourage vandalism.
“We haven’t had any major, huge (intentional) destruction of property,” Steiner said, noting recent weather had damaged property at some booths.
Goldenfield said it’s unfortunate that some people don’t respect others’ freedom of speech.
“We don’t agree with a lot of stuff, but we don’t go over and vandalize other people’s stuff,” Goldenfield said. “It’s beyond what you would call civilized. We should be able to have our freedom of speech, just like everyone else expects.”
The vandalized cutout will remain on display and a new cardboard cutout has been ordered.
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