What’s with sign theft at Glenbard West?

I’m writing this during a Fourth of July concert. Great music, reminding us of patriotic ideals, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the brave men and woman who fought for freedom, including the right to express differing points of view.

Such a curious contrast with some recent activity in the village. Why are our Glenbard West students afraid of free speech? In the last couple of weeks they have been stealing, destroying and vandalizing signs that have a different point of view from theirs about lights going into Memorial Field. They’ve even destroyed property while getting at those signs.

They want the lights. Others don’t. Free speech, right? We have videos of students taking signs. Amazing. What’s up? I’m getting less worried about the lights and more worried about the students.

Most of the photos are of boys in baggy shorts and T-shirts grabbing the signs and running. Maybe the one that bothers me most, however, is of a lovely girl with long blond hair, short shorts, and glasses who strides up to the sign and grabs it, taking it back to a waiting car. Who’s in the car? Surely not mom or dad? She looks unused to doing this sort of thing. The boys, frankly, look more practiced.

Fun? Maybe — if one or two signs. But more than 70 signs have been destroyed or taken, and collateral damage is now in the hundreds of dollars. What are these kids afraid of? Who’s supporting this? And is this good sportsmanship? Is bullying part of the program? Frankly, this makes me way less inclined to vote taxpayer dollars for any sports program.

These kids seem to need a civics lesson. And the public needs to know this is going on so they can rein it in.

Marilyn Mayer Wiedemann

Glen Ellyn