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Myra Becker, 94, put a sign in her yard that reads "Impeach President Trump Now!" Local officials say she must remove it because it violates the city's size limits for lawn signs. (Photo: Rick West/Daily Herald)
94-Year-Old Fights City Officials to Keep Her Massive 'Impeach President Trump Now!' Lawn Sign
"What else could I do?" says Myra Becker. "Our democracy is in danger."
Jun 06, 2018
"I can't march anymore, and I can't protest anymore, but I can put up a sign," said 94-year-old Myra Becker, who plans to appeal attempts by local officials to force her to take down her massive "Impeach President Trump Now!" lawn sign.
"What else could I do?" Becker, who uses a walker to get around, told CBS Chicago. "This is a serious thing. Our democracy is in danger."
"Somebody's got to speak up," she added to another local station. "I think the Republican congresspeople are wimps."
Becker, who lives in Elgin, Illinois, commissioned her sign as well as a spare and one for her neighbor--all which measure three feet by three feet, eight inches--in February.
"It's big. I didn't measure it, but it's bigger than I am," said Becker, who noted she didn't previously know about the city's size restrictions. "It's been out there for a long time. Nobody said anything, and I am surprised that they are now."
After a neighbor called the city to complain, a code compliance inspector reportedly visited Becker and her neighbor, Carl Flaks, on Monday, to warn them to remove their signs within 24 hours or they would each face a $50 fine.
While Flaks took down his sign, and says he is considering replacing it with a smaller one, Becker told the Daily Herald she plans to challenge any tickets she receives from the city, which she can contest by mail.
"At 94, what have I got to lose?" she said. WGN Chicago reports that Becker has contacted the sign company about ordering a smaller one with the same message, but as of now, the original massive sign remains in her yard.
"The city does not regulate what a sign says; we simply require a sign be no larger than three square feet," city spokesperson Molly Center told CBS. "Ms. Becker can replace the sign with the same content as long as it fits within the size requirements."
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a group of House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump last year. Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer is shepherding a multimillion-dollar campaign to impeach Trump, and more than five million people have signed his petition.
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"I can't march anymore, and I can't protest anymore, but I can put up a sign," said 94-year-old Myra Becker, who plans to appeal attempts by local officials to force her to take down her massive "Impeach President Trump Now!" lawn sign.
"What else could I do?" Becker, who uses a walker to get around, told CBS Chicago. "This is a serious thing. Our democracy is in danger."
"Somebody's got to speak up," she added to another local station. "I think the Republican congresspeople are wimps."
Becker, who lives in Elgin, Illinois, commissioned her sign as well as a spare and one for her neighbor--all which measure three feet by three feet, eight inches--in February.
"It's big. I didn't measure it, but it's bigger than I am," said Becker, who noted she didn't previously know about the city's size restrictions. "It's been out there for a long time. Nobody said anything, and I am surprised that they are now."
After a neighbor called the city to complain, a code compliance inspector reportedly visited Becker and her neighbor, Carl Flaks, on Monday, to warn them to remove their signs within 24 hours or they would each face a $50 fine.
While Flaks took down his sign, and says he is considering replacing it with a smaller one, Becker told the Daily Herald she plans to challenge any tickets she receives from the city, which she can contest by mail.
"At 94, what have I got to lose?" she said. WGN Chicago reports that Becker has contacted the sign company about ordering a smaller one with the same message, but as of now, the original massive sign remains in her yard.
"The city does not regulate what a sign says; we simply require a sign be no larger than three square feet," city spokesperson Molly Center told CBS. "Ms. Becker can replace the sign with the same content as long as it fits within the size requirements."
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a group of House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump last year. Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer is shepherding a multimillion-dollar campaign to impeach Trump, and more than five million people have signed his petition.
"I can't march anymore, and I can't protest anymore, but I can put up a sign," said 94-year-old Myra Becker, who plans to appeal attempts by local officials to force her to take down her massive "Impeach President Trump Now!" lawn sign.
"What else could I do?" Becker, who uses a walker to get around, told CBS Chicago. "This is a serious thing. Our democracy is in danger."
"Somebody's got to speak up," she added to another local station. "I think the Republican congresspeople are wimps."
Becker, who lives in Elgin, Illinois, commissioned her sign as well as a spare and one for her neighbor--all which measure three feet by three feet, eight inches--in February.
"It's big. I didn't measure it, but it's bigger than I am," said Becker, who noted she didn't previously know about the city's size restrictions. "It's been out there for a long time. Nobody said anything, and I am surprised that they are now."
After a neighbor called the city to complain, a code compliance inspector reportedly visited Becker and her neighbor, Carl Flaks, on Monday, to warn them to remove their signs within 24 hours or they would each face a $50 fine.
While Flaks took down his sign, and says he is considering replacing it with a smaller one, Becker told the Daily Herald she plans to challenge any tickets she receives from the city, which she can contest by mail.
"At 94, what have I got to lose?" she said. WGN Chicago reports that Becker has contacted the sign company about ordering a smaller one with the same message, but as of now, the original massive sign remains in her yard.
"The city does not regulate what a sign says; we simply require a sign be no larger than three square feet," city spokesperson Molly Center told CBS. "Ms. Becker can replace the sign with the same content as long as it fits within the size requirements."
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a group of House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump last year. Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer is shepherding a multimillion-dollar campaign to impeach Trump, and more than five million people have signed his petition.
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