Racist and anti-immigrant signs that also targeted Vice President Kamala Harris popped up Thursday in multiple bus stops along Colfax Avenue in Denver and Aurora, and transit agencies in at least one other state reported similar incidents.
“I wish I could say I were surprised, but in a year when a Black woman could become POTUS, those with hate in their heart are going to coordinate these kinds of atrocious, expensive campaigns to stir division,” Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis said in a statement on X.
The first Denver sign was reported around 5 a.m. Thursday by a bus driver on the pole of a bus stop near the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Oneida Street, according to a news release from Regional Transportation District. The two other signs in Denver were found at Colfax’s intersections with Garfield Street, near St. Joseph’s Medical Center, and with Yosemite Street.
Around 8:20 a.m. Thursday, one man in Denver’s Congress Park neighborhood spotted two white women putting up the sign at the bus stop at Colfax and Garfield.
“It was one of those things where you know something is out of place, but you don’t know what’s going on,” Congress Park resident Greg Bell said.
Bell said he passed the two women — who were carrying a white stepladder and trash bags he believes were holding the signs — as he made his way into a nearby grocery store. Minutes later, he saw the pair setting up the stepladder in front of the bus stop and one woman climbing onto it while holding a white, metal sign.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas on Friday said all the signs had been posted by 7:30 a.m. so it was more likely the women Bell saw were removing the signs.
Photos posted by Lewis show the signs screwed into the pole of that bus stop.
One white sign reads “Blacks must sit at the back of the bus. Kamala’s migrants sit in the front.” Another yellow caution sign on the same pole warns riders of “Kamala’s illegals,” with imagery of people running that is supposed to signify immigrants crossing the border.
The caution sign mimics real road signage that was posted until 2018 in California, warning drivers near the San Diego border to watch for migrants running across the freeway.
An Instagram account linked to Sabo — a right-wing street artist known for controversial art criticizing progressive policies and candidates — posted photos of the three Denver signs and a fourth at the intersection of Nome Street and East Colfax Avenue in Aurora.
That intersection is near an Aurora apartment complex recently shut down for city health and building code violations, uprooting hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.
The post on the Instagram account that links to Sabo’s UNSAVORYAGENTS website references the apartment closure, standing by claims from building ownership that a Venezuelan gang took over the complex. Aurora police and city officials have repeatedly denied the claims.
“The recent appearance of racist signs in Denver is deeply troubling and does not reflect the values of our city,” the Denver City Council said in an emailed statement Thursday. “… We stand with all residents in condemning these acts and reaffirm our commitment to building a community where everyone feels safe, valued and heard.”
RTD officials said similar signs had appeared recently at bus stops in Chicago and that Colorado officials were connecting with other agencies across the county to “assess the magnitude of the coordinated racist activity.” The Instagram account linked to Sabo includes an Aug. 21 picture of a similar sign the caption states was posted at a bus stop outside the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention was happening.
Shortly before the Legislature ended its property tax-focused special session Thursday, two Denver lawmakers decried the signs from the state House floor.
“What I think is important is that we confront our history and note that if any of us care to say that we have moved forward, that all of us demonstrate in standing here … that this is hate, and that it’s unacceptable,” said Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat and the House’s assistant majority leader. “We don’t know who put these up, and so we don’t know who’s part of the problem. We know that we cannot continue to allow people to believe that this is acceptable or allow people to believe that they can grow power from posting signs like this.”
RTD officials worked with Denver law enforcement to remove all the reported signs and are investigating each of the incidents..
“RTD strongly condemns the hateful, discriminatory message portrayed by the signs,” transportation officials wrote in the release. “There is no place for racism or discrimination at RTD or within the communities we serve … nor should such vile messaging be tolerated or supported by anyone.”
Anyone who sees unauthorized signs or suspicious behavior at RTD bus stops should call Transit Police Dispatch at 303-299-2911, text 303-434-9100 or submit an anonymous report using RTD’s Transit Watch app.
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Updated at 1:52 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, 2024: This article was updated to include new information about what two women seen by a witness with a stepladder near one of the posted signs were doing.
