Hometown Outdoor operated a plant of 10 by 32 and 10 by 24 static billboards around Muncie, Indiana. Gary Dragoo was the company’s President. In March, Hometown sold to JR Promotions Outdoor Advertising. Gary Dragoo grew in a family that ran Omni Outdoor in Muncie, Indiana.
By Ken Shepherd - The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 20, 2016
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/20/hate-cops-billboard-indiana-causing-stir-try-calli/
An Indiana billboard caused a stir over the weekend, reported the Muncie Star Press on Wednesday.
“A billboard reading ‘Hate cops? The next time you need help call a crackhead’ was visible for at least a few hours on Saturday on an electronic billboard near the Wheeling and Riverside intersection in Muncie,” the Star Press noted.
The paper talked to Muncie resident Megan Thomas, who told the paper she was “very ashamed that something so dividing was present in Muncie” and accordingly took to Facebook to express her frustration.
“Her Facebook post of a photo of the billboard, along with a question about whether tax dollars had paid for the sign and contact information for the billboard company, prompted a flurry of responses, positive and negative, and — as of Monday afternoon — more than 1,000 shares,” the Star Press explained. “Thomas said she drove past the sign around 5 p.m. Saturday, and saw by that time the ‘Hate cops?…’ one was no longer in the rotation appearing on the electronic billboard.”
“By Monday afternoon, another couple of notices had joined the rotation, one reading ‘Love, Respect, Support Law Enforcement,’ and the other ‘Love, Support, Support Law Enforcement,’” noted the Star Press.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Gary Dragoo, the owner of Muncie-based Hometown Outdoor Advertising, “said the billboard message he posted on Saturday was meant to remind the public about the importance of police.”
“Our heart was in the place of supporting law enforcement,” Mr. Dragoo said, according to the AP. “A generation has lost respect for law enforcement.”
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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