Sign in Old Town Spring raising eyebrows

(5/18/06 - KTRK/SPRING, TX) (KTRK) -- It's a greeting with a definite message in Old Town Spring -- an electronic sign that welcomes families visiting the shopping district with a stance on the current immigration debate.

The person behind the sign is an attorney in Old Town Spring who also owns business rental property. For him, the motivation was the boycott of a few weeks back. He has every legal and constitutional right to voice his opinion that he says is directed against illegal immigrants of every nationality. But more than a few people question whether a tourist town is the right venue.

It begins tamely enough. You see the time and temperature on the sign...and then it takes on illegal immigration. 'Buy American, hire American' and 'Boycott illegals' it says. And it's all in the shadow of an antique and gift-filled shopping district.

"This is such a happy place. Everybody's here and it's a mixture. That shocked me when I saw that," said visitor Carolyn Nolan.

Old Town Spring is designed for tourists, for day trippers, for people wanting a break from the problems of everyday life.

"It's kind of like going to a movie," said visitor Pam Taupin. "You either go for entertainment or you go for a serious message-driven story."

The shop owners we spoke with did not want to be interviewed for this story, preferring instead to stay out of the debate. There was one exception. The staff at a lawyer's office, which is next to the sign, wanted to emphasize it has nothing to do with it.

"We have all ages of people, elderly people, young people, who come here to shop," said paralegal Amber Davis. "That might be quite offensive to some people."

The sign owner, who's also advertising the message, did not want to be interviewed on camera.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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