Signs supporting Buckhead Cityhood defaced with vulgar graffiti

ATLANTA - Buckhead resident Susan Kreuer discovered the vandalism on Sunday. 

"We were shocked at the profanity of it all the criminality and the indication of trying to squelch or change people's freedom of speech," Kreuer told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.

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FOX 5 blurred out the expletive that greeted residents and motorists along busy West Paces Ferry Road. Someone defaced two prominent Buckhead Cityhood Signs, spray-painting the letter "F" over the "B" in the word Buckhead.

"We have neighbors in the community who are representative of both schools of thought", said Kreuer, "for and against, and people need to be able to have the right to speak their minds." 

Smaller signs supporting the Buckhead Cityhood effort weren't damaged.

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Bill White, Chair and CEO of the Buckhead City Committee, the group leading the de-annexation effort, tells FOX 5 it's the second time this year one of the large signs off Ridgewood Road has been vandalized.

"Although we don't know exactly who did this," said White, "I can promise you it wasn't one of our supporters. I think that what it really says is that the folks who are against this really don't have any good ideas they just resort to this. We welcome an honest debate, but this is vandalism, and it won't be tolerated."

A spokesman for the Committee for a United Atlanta, a group opposed to the de-annexation effort, issued a written statement in response to the vandalism saying quote: "This was an act of vandalism and whoever engaged in it should be prosecuted.  It is also wrong, however, to smear good people with false accusations just because they disagree with you. The issue of a Buckhead City is a serious one requiring a lowering of heated emotions and thoughtful civil debate on its merits or the lack thereof. That has been our goal from the beginning and will continue to be as we move forward. We ask Bill White to do the same."

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