LANSING, Mich. — The City of Lansing is sending a warning to the people who put up some controversial immigration posters around town last week.
The warning isn't about what they said, but rather the act of hanging them up.
The signs read "Keep America American" and were put up around Lansing's Old Town on utility poles. Now, they're nowhere to be seen, and the city is ready to hand out fines if they come back.
"I was really disappointed that these would show up in Old Town, being such an inclusive community," Lynn Ross said. Ross owns Mother and Earth Baby Boutique in Old Town.
At the bottom of the poster, there is a phone number and the sentence "report any and all illegal aliens, they are criminals" with a website URL. The irony is that whoever hung them up broke the law themselves.
"Posting on public property, that's an ordinance violation. If you're posting on someone's private property and they didn't give you permission, then that's not legal either," Mayor Andy Schor said.
It's more than a legal issue to the mayor. He says the signs don't reflect Lansing's values.
"I'm not interested in being isolationists. We want to cherish everybody's differences and have everyone contribute to the growth of Lansing. We have a lot of people from different cultures and we're proud of that, we've always been proud of that. I'm proud to be mayor of a city that has that type of diversity," he said.
Business owners in Old Town hope the situation inspires people to spread a different message.
"You know it's just a small amount of people that are trying to spread hate and that's just not the reality of our community. So even if someone saw it, you know just walking down the street that that is not what our community stands for," Ross said.
FOX 47 News did reach out to the group that posted the signs. They said their goal is to "keep America informed about the dangers of illegal immigration" and give people a "valid avenue to report undocumented immigrants."
Lansing Police say people who are caught hanging up signs illegally can be fined $150.
