Oklahoma Independent Media Center

As I was fixing to leave Goodwell Saturday afternoon to run some errands in a neighboring town, I noticed the following two racist signs on adjacent dumpsters at College Corner, a local convenience store. Of course I didn't have my camera handy at the time, so I waited until the evening to get a couple shots of the offending signs. The only identifying information I could find was on one that claimed it was paid for by some entity called "Citizens for Public Awareness." A quick drive around town suggests that College Corner was the only location where these signs were posted. Given that store's location - right across the street from the university campus - I'm guessing the perps were shooting for maximum visibility.

[Editor's Note: There was a similar story posted to OKIMC in April, Racist group strikes in Northeast Oklahoma City]

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Similar signs have been found in Arizona, as witnessed by my friend Manny, and an ASU student who shot some video footage last year.

I recall that Manny was hoping to research the group behind the signs, so perhaps he'll chime in and offer some insight. From what I've been able to gather, this Citizens for Public Awareness organization doesn't exactly have much presence on the internet. That said, what little info I've been able to dredge up suggests that its founder and president, Nancy Schaefer, has been known to make nativist statements in the past. So, assuming this is the same group, the signs are definitely in character.

I'll likely be making a few phone calls Monday to see who has jurisdiction over dumpsters, and see what it'll take to get the signs removed.

All that aside, there is something fittingly symbolic of racist garbage like the above signs glued to dumpsters.

For those requiring some context, here's a little something on nativism.

Cross-posted from The Mahatma X Files