Readers respond: Racists coming out of the woodwork

Letters to the editor


I was recently in line for gas at a Costco store in Vancouver. In front of me was a car with a sign that cursed George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and anyone who was put off by the sign.

What is happening? This is not OK.

The ugliness of our current times is rearing its monstrous head. It’s hateful, mean and divisive.

I’m a Black woman, born and raised in Vancouver who graduated from Fort Vancouver High School in the 1970s. I never encountered the hate and overt racism I witness now. Obviously, racists existed then behind closed doors and out of my hearing range. They stayed relatively hidden until this current administration apparently empowered them to come out of the woodwork and openly express themselves.

I get the First Amendment and freedom of speech. If someone wants to post a sign like this sign on their private property in their yard I guess they can, although I prefer they didn’t.

However, why is it permissible to drive around with prominent profane signage publicly displayed on a vehicle for all to see? Washington and Oregon don’t allow profanity on vanity plates. It’s offensive and it’s not OK.

Rita Griffin Deiz, Vancouver