(May 6, 2011) A billboard put up Tuesday by the Central Valley Coalition of Reason in Fresno, CA was discovered to have been damaged by vandalism. The billboard, which read, "DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD? Join the Club" and the group's web address, "ValleyCoR.org" in smaller letters below it, had the word "DON'T" painted out and the large letters"MADC" painted on as well.
According to the Central Valley Alliance of Atheists and Skeptics, one of the local groups that make up ValleyCoR, the billboard went up Tuesday afternoon, press releases were sent out Wednesday, local news began covering the story Wednesday and Thursday and the vandalism was discovered early on Friday. The CVAAS isn't pointing any fingers at anyone though.
From their web announcement:
Fresno does have a tagging problem, and I’m sure that the slime that does this sort of thing do so out of their own tagging aggrandizement, and not because they are in any way pious or faithful. I hold little hope that this person or people will be caught and given the justice they deserve.
I do have hopes that the Fresno Community will stand together in their condemnation of this vile act.
The Fresno billboard cost $5,176.00 to erect and was supposed to remain up for 30 days. No decision on its fate has been made public yet. It was not the first atheist-themed billboard to have appeared in California. Three atheist billboards put up last year by the Sacramento Coalition of Reason were also vandalized.
The Fresno billboard was one of two scheduled to go up this month in the Central Valley area. The other one, which has a similar message is located in Stockton and is sponsored by the San Joaquin Valley Coalition of Reason. A third billboard with a slightly different message was erected in Southern California. It's sponsored by the Orange County CoR and was put up in time to highlight the upcoming 2011 Orange County Freethought Alliance Conference on May 15th (information on this event, entitled "The Hazards of Living in a Religious World," can be found here).
Pictures of all three billboards, including "before" and "after" pictures of the vandalized one, can be seen in the slide show at left.
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