Pat Dollard

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – The emotion–stirring President Obama billboard on I–70B stood over the highway for its last day Friday. The sign was taken down after causing national outrage since it was put up Monday.

Those who know the owner of the billboard say he and his wife were receiving violent threats. Meanwhile, the person who commissioned the artist and the use of the billboard is still anonymous. Those who know the owner say their friend decided to take the heated President Obama cartoon down after a flood of harassing calls.

“He got a lot of calls out of his place of business that he said he was fine with. When things got out of hand and people started calling his wife, that’s when he decided to go ahead and take it down,” says Blake Brueggeman, owner of Integrity Auto Repair. Brueggeman leases property from the billboard owner.

The sign’s artist says it’s meant to convey a message. It showed President Obama as a terrorist, gangster, Mexican bandito and a homosexual. “It’s got a lot of symbolism in it, in that all of those characters are issues being mishandled by presidency,” says creator of the sign, artist Paul Snover.

Some consider the work political satire. “Lighten up people. Have a sense of humor,” says Brueggeman.

“We had cartoons of George W. Bush with gorillas,” says Jamie Lee Smith, who is angered that the sign was taken down.

Others are enraged at what they say is hate and disrespect. “Where do you draw the line? It just causes hatred and racism if you ask me,” says Cory Caldwell, who is offended by the billboard.

Regardless of the emotions conjured by the cartoon, the anger has now shifted to First Amendment rights.

“It is sad that people have to go so low as to threaten somebody’s life because they don’t like a sign,” says Dennis Patton, who stopped by the sign to see that it had actually been taken down.

“Political correctness is a suppression of free speech,” says Brueggeman.

Some argue that the image was not appropriate for public display. “If it offends people, you do have a certain obligation to take it down because little kids see that,” says Crystal Kitzman, who says she thought the sign was lewd.

“The billboard is an expression or statement. I don’t think it’s intended to be hateful. It’s intended to get across a message,” says Snover.

GJ Result, the Tea Party in Grand Junction, has been accused of commissioning the sign. The group denies this, but says they do support the right for it to be there. GJ Result is holding a rally Saturday afternoon at the old Mesa County Court House over the sign situation. A leader of the group tells 11 News that he is outraged that someone’s First Amendment rights have been trampled on.