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>Dudes,
>
>I've been a silent supporter of
>your activities for a while--but
>we need to talk.
>
>Today, I drove by one of
>those LOSE-50-POUNDS-IN-10-MINUTES signs that's been
>stuck in the ground for
>a couple weeks, and some
>bozo had stuck a big,
>neon-orange, C.A.U.S.S., "Please Remove Your
>Litter" sticker on it.
>Cute. The sign was
>in a shopping center in
>Monument.
>
>If this was one of yours--shark
>it. Or I will,
>tomorrow. You've hijacked an
>eyesore and turned it into
>an even BIGGER one.
Hmmm. Yesterday I pulled out 19 signs, and sharked/stickered
none of them. Why? Because I don't frequent that area enough
that I plan on being back in a day or two. (No matter, there
are at least 2 other sharks in that area, judging by the
signs and different stickers I saw.
>
>You've become part of The Problem.
I respectfully disagree. If I find an intersection
that is repeatedly getting spammed after I *pull* the signs,
I'll pull all of them *except one* which I'll sticker, *THEN*
I'll come back in a day or three and remove the sign completely.
I want to leave something that the spammer will see telling
him that his/her signs are deliberately being removed.
>
>
>I understand that you have some
>kind of legal fight in
>Evergreen that you need to
>fund, but, if you want
>to advertise, pay for it.
Frankly, there is a fight everywhere, not just
in Evergreen. Its just that someone is making
empty threats there regarding their illegal trash.
> I put about $1,500.00
>a month into advertising my
>carpet-cleaning business. Why the
>hell should YOU get a
>free ride?
Explain how we are getting a free ride.
We are out there, largely removing the signs that
should not be there in the first place, and
for the few signs that do get sharked, (unlike the
silly illustration in Westword where they had
every single sign being sharked/stickered and
not being cleaned up) we are trying to leave a
message to the lawbreaker that this activity
will not be tolerated.
>
>If you want to make illegitimate
>signs disappear, I won't lose
>any sleep over it.
>But if you've become spammers
>yourselves, then ##### you.
I'll repeat, I have never sharked a sign,
I have stickered a few. But then I return and
remove the sign (unless someone else does first).
>
>The sign I'm talking about is
>in the shopping center in
>Monument on Highway 105, between
>the post office and the
>Cork 'N Bottle Liquor store.
> If you don't have
>the nuts to pull it,
>then I WILL, at 9:30
>tomorrow morning.
>
>--Art
Art, let me propose a possible scenario here.
Perhaps whomever stickered that sign doesn't live
in that area, or frequents it rarely, so rather than
leave a fresh area for new signs he stickered one,
both to hinder the spammer and also raise awareness.
Now if the sign offends you, you have just as much
right to pull it down as the next person, so go ahead,
with my thanks.
Let me commend you for not engaging in the same practice of
posting illegal signs, and for caring enough about your
community to get involved and help clean up. Let me
re-interate, I haven't sharked signs, and I rarely sticker,
unless there are several in an area, and then I will remove
the majority and sticker a remaining one. Then come back
later and remove the sign completely.
Another suggestion, take the time to find out who the
Code Enforcement person is in your area (or the area of
question) and alert them to the problem. They are required
to get out there and pull the signs whenever they can and
that includes all illegal signs. Note that by choice most
members will pass over "Lost Dog" or "Garage Sale" signs, or
in my case I also ignore signs pleading for info/witnesses to
car accidents in the area posted. Are those signs legal? No.
But we are making a values judgement about the relative
"wrongness" of the sign. A lost pet sign or garage sale
sign is often pulled within a day or two that it goes up,
by the person(s) that put it up in the first place. It is also
usually posted by a resident within that community.
I have never seen nor heard tell of a sign spammer, such as
those that engage in a MLM scheme, or a el cheapo insurance
offer, EVER COME BACK AND REMOVE THEIR SIGNS. And it has been
documented more than once on this website that these criminals
will often range far and wide to post their signs with no
intention of "only leaving them there temporarily".
Are the lost dog signs legal? No. But we'll leave those for CE
to pick up, and focus on the much more pervasive problem created
by the coroplast-loving cowards that post a sign with ambiguous
contact information so as to prevent someone from identifying
the actual owner of the signs. If there is a lost dog sign,
there is usually a local, easily identifiable number/address.
The MLM scams on the other hand, hide behind 800 numbers and
other facades like websites registered under someone else's
name.
Art, Code Enforcement has a lot on their plate, besides sign
removal, they have to do building inspections and other tasks.
Its a matter of prioritizing limited manpower and resources.
What CAUSS does is attack those signs which are clearly illegal,
and try several methods to discourage the criminals posting them.
I have posted on the *few* stickers I have placed, the city
codes in question to that apply to the violation, my
intention to try and track down the culprits, and a commitment
to take time out to testify in court as a witness if I can
catch someone in the act.
I'll admit that is going the extra mile, but its what I'm willing
to do. And yes, I have a life. I volunteer at my son's school,
I am active in my church and my community. I am not blameless
either, I have been ticketed for speeding and other things,
but that does not absolve me from my responsibility to try
and improve the community I live in.
I can also sympathize with your frustration at those that put
up the signs. As a small businessman you may have been tempted
to put up a few signs of your own, and you interpet CAUSS
stickers as a betrayal of your own forebearance. Let me encourage
you that the very best way to get more business is by positive
word of mouth, not by using signs. There are some people that
would never use the services of someone using illegal signs. They
logically assume that if that business is unethical enough
to engage in illegal practices to promote their business, that
they are not trustworthy enough to permit inside our home. BUT,
if a friend or associate tells me what a great job someone did
on their carpet, I would be very much inclined to give them
a try.
Hopefully I've given you something to consider.
If you see an illegal sign, pull it down. If you see a
illegal sign that has been sharked or stickered, pull it
down. Just pull it down. Direct your wrath at those most
deserving of it, the criminals that put the signs up in
the first place.
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