SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — Some people in Solana Beach feel their freedom of speech is under attack after political signs were stolen from their front yards.
“This is a lovely area. We would’ve never expected that to happen," said Cheryl Rosen, who moved to the area with her husband Howard 11 years ago.
The Rosens noticed the political sign supporting the Harris-Walz campaign was missing from their front yard on Sept. 19. That same day, their neighbor shared security camera footage, which captured three people riding away carrying something in their arms.
“There he is. The sign’s in the front of the bike. There’s another one. He has the sign by the spokes," said Howard as he played back the footage for ABC 10News.
According to Cheryl, despite having other political signs, the Harris-Walz sign was the only one targeted, and the others were left untouched.
They think it's three middle schoolers using electric bikes to make a quick escape. However, the community is catching on.
A few blocks away, Michael Denisevich, who's lived there since 1994, put up a Harris-Walz sign of his own.
“It lasted, about, overnight," he said.
Denisevich said it's only happened to him once, but his next-door neighbor had seven signs stolen — all Harris-Walz as well.
He sees this as a symptom of a larger issue.
“I guess that brute force prevails, which I don’t think is the way we want things to be," Denisevich said.
A couple of neighbors reported the incidents to the San Diego Sheriff's Department. According to the Rosens, a few public posts on the Nextdoor app seem to have stopped the activity for now.
“Whatever you want to put on your property, if it’s a political sign, it should never be— you know, you have to respect that," Cheryl said. "You don’t have to like it, but you should never touch it.”
Although the Sheriff's Department is aware of the incidents, they said there is no active investigation. If they find the group responsible, they tell ABC 10News that not much will happen. This is considered petty theft since the property value is below $950, a misdemeanor in California.
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