KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s presidential primary has come and gone, but that hasn’t stopped thieves from stealing political campaign signs. In the Volker neighborhood, Bernie Sanders’ supporters are upset over a recent rash of thefts.
Police have taken multiple reports of Sanders’ sign thefts this week in two neighborhoods, Volker and West Plaza.
In response to having signs stolen on two separate occasions, Melissa Zarda has taken the unusual step of hanging a seven-foot banner from the second floor of her home, where it’s harder to steal.
Zarda says her husband saw a group of young men take her Sanders sign Sunday night. She says her spouse watched the thieves speed away in a white Audi sedan with Johnson County license plates, which the couple reported to police.
“It’s widespread both here in Volker and in West Plaza,” Zarda said. “They’ve been getting a lot of reports that night. They also got a lot of reports, they hit our neighborhood for a second time and pretty much cleared it of all Bernie signs.”
Other neighbors have followed Zarda’s lead, reposting signs on their homes instead of in the yards, and displaying them higher than ground level. Zarda says stolen signs should be investigated like any other property theft.
Police say the recent sign theft reports involve Bernie Sanders supporters, although officers say other political signs also have been reported stolen this year.