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RICHMOND -
A sign depicting President Barack Obama in the image of The Joker from Batman is still causing a stir.
The large sign hangs outside Club Velvet in Shockoe Bottom and many in the community are reacting to it now days after it was put up. At some point over night vandalism was done to the sign by writing the word "rapist" on the bottom of it. This would seem to reference the sex charges that Moore served time for last year. It's still appears a controversial conversation.
"It's been the talk of the Bottom since last night," said David Napier, President of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association.
City council member Ellen Robertson weighed in Monday with her disapproval.
"The community should be outraged and I do hope that it will come down," said Robertson.
Robertson said she would be speaking with the City Attorney about whether or not the city has any ordinance that could apply to the sign.
We asked the city Tuesday about their codes and were told that the sign is not in violation of city codes. The sign is exempt from the codes because its content is political and it is being displayed on private property.
But not everyone agrees with that reasoning. Napier wants the city to make rules on the size of signs that can be enforced regardless of the content.
"I support his right to put his sign up but I don' think you should be able to turn private property in to billboards," said Napier.
Napier says he has spoken to the city about another sign hanging outside Moore's club. That sign was protesting a baseball stadium coming to Shockoe Bottom. He was told that the sign was political and protected.
"I would chose to disagree with the President in a different manner honestly, but the city is not going to enforce it," said Napier.
Law experts say that Moore is also constitutionally protected under the First Amendment and that despite community outrage political speech is protected. Things like obscenity and words that would incite violence are not.
The State chapter of the NAACP held a protest out side the club Monday and called the poster racist.
Moore declined to talk with us but he did release a statement. He said his display is not intended to make a racial statement but rather to express his displeasure with the Obama administration.
"This country is going to hell in a hand bag and the current administration is making things irreversibly worse," said Moore.
The large sign hangs outside Club Velvet in Shockoe Bottom and many in the community are reacting to it now days after it was put up. At some point over night vandalism was done to the sign by writing the word "rapist" on the bottom of it. This would seem to reference the sex charges that Moore served time for last year. It's still appears a controversial conversation.
"It's been the talk of the Bottom since last night," said David Napier, President of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association.
City council member Ellen Robertson weighed in Monday with her disapproval.
"The community should be outraged and I do hope that it will come down," said Robertson.
Robertson said she would be speaking with the City Attorney about whether or not the city has any ordinance that could apply to the sign.
We asked the city Tuesday about their codes and were told that the sign is not in violation of city codes. The sign is exempt from the codes because its content is political and it is being displayed on private property.
But not everyone agrees with that reasoning. Napier wants the city to make rules on the size of signs that can be enforced regardless of the content.
"I support his right to put his sign up but I don' think you should be able to turn private property in to billboards," said Napier.
Napier says he has spoken to the city about another sign hanging outside Moore's club. That sign was protesting a baseball stadium coming to Shockoe Bottom. He was told that the sign was political and protected.
"I would chose to disagree with the President in a different manner honestly, but the city is not going to enforce it," said Napier.
Law experts say that Moore is also constitutionally protected under the First Amendment and that despite community outrage political speech is protected. Things like obscenity and words that would incite violence are not.
The State chapter of the NAACP held a protest out side the club Monday and called the poster racist.
Moore declined to talk with us but he did release a statement. He said his display is not intended to make a racial statement but rather to express his displeasure with the Obama administration.
"This country is going to hell in a hand bag and the current administration is making things irreversibly worse," said Moore.
Hanover, what is this country coming to? it cost 79 million to put a hole in the moon but they can't take care of healthcare or social security. what a joke
susie @ 6:12 PM EDT, Oct 9, 2009
Awarding Obama the Nobel prize for peace makes as much sense as would awarding Mike Vick the Nobel prize for Humanity. Certainly neither earned it !
Joseph @ 5:54 PM EDT, Oct 9, 2009
only the ignorant and the primitive are blind to the fascist new gov't rising and that obama is only the latest installment
Nazi Smasher @ 4:09 PM EDT, Oct 3, 2009
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