Free Speech in Action: Arizona Woman Mocks, Doesn’t Memory Hole, Confederate Monument

An Arizona mom used a homemade banner to turn a monument honoring Arizona Confederate dead into a “2nd-place participant trophy.”

Rebecca McHood, 37, told the Phoenix Times News she was “outraged by Trump’s press conference” Tuesday during which he said there were “very fine people on both sides” of last week’s Charlottesville unrest.

In contrast to the left-wing vandals who have torn down or defaced historical monuments to make their point, Rebecca McHood’s silent protest of President Donald Trump’s recent comments left the memorial completely undamaged.

Inspired by internet memes of consolation prizes Photoshopped over Confederate symbols, McHood hung banners made from scrapbook paper and ribbon over the state Capitol’s Confederate memorial. The banners read “2nd place participant” and “you lost, get over it.”

A cop standing nearby informed her she could not attach anything to the monument. However, he did not prevent her from laying the banner across it, HuffPost reported.

On Facebook, McHood shared pictures of what she called her “peaceful protest”, saying, “Trump and the other White Supremacist Nazis DO NOT Speak for me!”

In the comment section, she explained her goal was to utilize the monument “to show what those monuments really stand for – breeding grounds of dissent and open rebellion against our nation.”

Right now, we all have a choice to make – we can stand united against those terrorists in our midst who would do us harm, or we can dissolve into petty bickering that cracks the foundation our ancestors fought so hard to preserve.

By Wednesday morning, the banners had been removed, but in their place were the letters “BLM” spray-painted onto the monument’s base. “BLM” is the acronym for Black Lives Matter.

During an interview with AZCentral.com, McHood disapproved of the graffiti, saying she doesn’t condone vandalism or violence.

“But I do hope that people see the racism in (the Confederate-monument fight) and the refusal of people to speak out,” she said.

Amanda House is Breitbart News’ Deputy Political Editor. You can follow her on Twitter at @AmandaLeeHouse.