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Detroit business owner says City is removing its Trump signs
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Detroit business owner says City is removing its Trump signs

Michael Murphy thinks someone in the city of Detroit has a vendetta because his political signs keep getting taken down – even though he owns that property.

“A white city of Detroit truck stopped and took them away,” he said.

FOX 2: “So what did you do after that?”

“I still have some,” he said.

Murphy owns Pointe Auto Tech on E. Warren on Detroit’s east side. He shared security footage showing his signs taken.

He said the first time city workers took his signs was Oct. 21.

“They said I wasn’t allowed to put them between the sidewalk and the curb,” he said. “I placed them there, but I placed them against the building and they took them too.”

Murphy says he’s so tired of his signs being stolen that he bolted them to the top of his fence. He brings his Trump flag – mimicking the “Rambo First Blood Part II” poster with the former president’s face on Sylvester Stallone’s body – at night.

He says what’s frustrating is that he believes the city is leaving signs for Vice President Kamala Harris, like the ones a few blocks away on Cadieux.

“Why would you do that? Even if you don’t like Trump, you can’t take my signs,” he said.

But according to the City, they can. Murphy was violating Detroit’s sign ordinance, said Crystal Perkins, Detroit’s director of general services.

“The space between the sidewalk and the street remains public property and right of way,” she said. “So signs cannot be placed in this area, it is a prohibited area.”

As for Murphy’s signs against the wall, Perkins says they need to be five feet from the sidewalk.

FOX 2 showed him the Harris sign at an auto shop down the street. She said one of them complied with the order — but acknowledged others near Cadieux did not — and said the city wasn’t just targeting Trump signs .

“It’s unfortunate that he feels that way. We’re not targeting a political party or a person running for official office,” she said. “We are removing all signs placed in prohibited areas.”

Murphy says he has other signs, ready to go.