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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Police said several signs urging White Plains to stop the French-American School of New York (FASNY) from opening a campus on the former Ridgeway Country Club were stolen early Saturday morning.
Gedney Association President Terence Guerriere said approximately 30 signs reading "Stop FASNY Now!" and "FASNO" were snatched from yards lining Ridgeway, Hathaway and Gedney Esplanade at around 3 a.m. Saturday.
"We're concerned because it's trespassing, freedom of speech issues and it's dangerous," said Guerriere, who said the neighborhood was able to replace the stolen signs because the association just received a shipment of 100 lawn signs.
"It's frustrating because this is a long, drawn-out process. It's hard for them to feel like they're getting things achieved," he said of the Gedney residents. "These signs were a sign that we were not alone. We had support all over White Plains."
Video surveillance shows the theft was not the act of "kids who drank too much and wanted to pull a prank," according to Guerriere, who called the incident "a concerted effort to suppress opposition." He said volunteers routinely ensure that signs in the neighborhood are present and upright. Residents checked the 30 signs about two hours before they began to disappear Saturday.
Lt. Eric Fischer, who commands the detectives unit, said police were in the preliminary stage of the investigation and had not yet received video surveillance of the incident.
"We did receive a complaint about that and we're investigating it," said Fischer. "If someone has video surveillance, we welcome it."
Police advise anyone with information about the theft to call the detectives unit at (914) 422-6223.
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