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Pittsburg Man Ruffles Feathers With Controversial Signage

PITTSBURG (KPIX 5) -- Confusing and controversial signs with racially-charged language have been drawing attention outside a home in Pittsburg, but the elderly man putting them up says he was just trying to get people to think.

When neighbor Mario Molina first saw the sign, he was horrified. And since it was put up a few days after the election, he was sure it was racism.

"I thought it would be this older white gentleman that felt proud that Donald Trump was elected," said Molina.

The sign, which read, "You Can Hang A N***** From A Tree, Equal Rights He'll Never See!" has since been taken down. It turns out the man who put it up is 75-year-old Alonzo Parker, a retired machinist who is also African-American.

The police came by after neighbors complained about the 10-foot-long sign.

"They told me I should take the name n***** off the sign. And I told them that I am a n***** and I'm proud to be a n*****, very proud of it. The word dictates what I've suffered through, what I've been through," he explained.

Parker said this has nothing at all to do with the election.

He said he is angry about a court case involving his brother who passed away and left him some property. It took several years and $50,000 to resolve. So for the past year, he has been putting up sign after sign, all with provocative language, and even flew a Confederate flag from his home just to get attention to his cause.

Vazquez asked him about how the signs may be perceived by the public.

Vazquez: "There may be people who don't know what you look like and think that this is a racist sign against black people."
Parker: "Well, some people might think that. I have no control over what people think, I just give them something to think about."
Vazquez: "Police are worried for your safety, they're talking about if someone might not know who you are, they might attack you."
Parker: "Well, the only people I'm worried about attacking me is the police."

Two young men are believed to have ripped down the latest sign. Mr. Parker says he's not sure if he will keep putting up more. His neighbors hope he doesn't.

"His message got lost and at this time and political climate, it's just not good. It's not helping the cause for anybody," Molina said.

Police say the city has fined him $5,000 per sign because they are larger than city ordinances allow. He got another fine Monday.

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