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A 40-foot-long immigration billboard in Manassas that has divided a community will stay in place a little longer.
The billboard on Liberty Street caused a major debate in the Manassas community. Its owner was scheduled to face off against the city in court Tuesday, but the court date was moved to September.
With 202 words painted on 480 square feet, Gaudencio Fernandez roundly rejects all he says Prince William County (web|news) stands for. "Many people do not agree with the message when we speak about the truth. They're afraid to recognize that this is nothing else but the truth."
Fernandez says the billboard, which sits on his property, spells out what he sees as Prince William County's injustices against immigrants in a way that's too big to miss.
Several immigration groups, including Mexica Movement, were headed to Washington for a civil rights march when some stopped in Manassas first.
California resident Olin Tezcatlipoca, who viewed the sign said, "Pride, nothing but pride. On this whole thing, what part is not true?"
They were seeking out a sign that many Manassas residents would rather ignore. "I find it quite repulsive," said Tim Busy.
Resident Jenny Brown disliked the billboard as well. "I feel like the board makes it seem everyone in Prince William County doesn't like immigrants. That's clearly not the case."
"They can put up a sign and get away with it. They've put up a sign and it's been that way for months and months," said Manassas resident Dennis Zahorchak.
The city of Manassas does take issue with the sign, but city leaders say it has nothing to do with what's written on the sign. Instead, they say the problem is they never issued a building permit for it, which is a code violation.
Gaudencio Fernandez says he won't back down. "We don't have that intention at all."
For now, the sign remains, symbolically and literally, at the corner where Liberty and Prince William Streets intersect.
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"PWC and Manassas City The National Capital of Intolerance. |
Those who tread on the constitutional rights of any individual, tread on the spirit of the founding fathers of this country, and every individual that has fought and especially those that died protecting what they built.
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