CERES, Calif. — A double-sided racist sign was seen dangling from a well-traveled overpass in Ceres this past weekend.
It was seen around 8 a.m. above S. Seventh Street at E. Hatch Road and Highway 99 on Saturday with words threatening Mexicans and using derogatory words connotating hate.
"It's unfortunate that this type of hate that used to be kept hidden or not necessarily out in the open has now gone mainstream that people feel very comfortable putting these types of signs out there," said Jose Rodriguez, president and CEO of the community non-profit El Concilio California.
According to the Latina viewer who recorded the sign with her cell phone and who wanted to remain anonymous, a crane was used to quickly take the sign down.
No one knows who put it up.
"You know, especially when we just had a shooting in Buffalo, you think about the shooting we had in Arizona - I mean, there's a lot of hate out there, and these signs certainly don't help," Rodriguez said.
"This is barbaric. This is dangerous," said Stanislaus County community advocate Yamilet Valladolid.
She said whoever created the sign is in a "dark mental state" and needs help. She also said local government and law enforcement leaders need to crack down on hate messages.
"We have seen, more than ever, too much violence fired up by racism," Valladolid said.
She also said people need to encourage community equity and inclusion.
"Whether its our work spaces, whether its our social spaces, we need to call it out if we hear people comment on something that is racist," Valladolid said.
The Modesto-area California Highway Patrol said it had no reports regarding the racist sign. A message left this afternoon with the Ceres Police Department was not immediately returned.
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