Metro East home littered with signs referencing Nazis, slave plantations, politicians drawing criticism
By Deion Broxton
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Belleville, Illinois (KMOV) — A home in the Metro East is drawing criticism from neighbors and social advocacy groups for signs referencing Nazis, Black people on slave plantations and political rhetoric.
A home at the corner of South 29th Street and Godfrey Street in Belleville has been a concern for some residents for years. As of Friday, some signs in the yard read: “Hitler is back,” “Liberals, the new Nazis,” and “Black people you can leave the plantation.”
Neighborhood resident Claire Howell told First Alert 4 the signs have been littered in the homeowner’s yard for years. Howell, along with other social advocacy groups, like the East St. Chapter of the NAACP, Empire 13, Solidarity Coalition and other St. Louis metropolitan grassroots groups, are planning on marching in April to protest the signs at the house.
“I’ve been wanting to do some sort of action for a very long time,” Howell said. “I have never tried to speak to him.”
Stewart Lannert, 81, owns the home. He told First Alert 4 that the signs are targeted towards the Democratic Party.
“It’s nothing personal to any one person,” Lannert said. “They know this is First Amendment rights.”
Lannert said the Hitler and Nazi signs are criticisms toward pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, and the plantation sign refers to Black people who only vote Democrat and not Republican.
In recent years, authorities in Belleville charged Lannert with terrorism threats twice. Lannert said he made phone calls regarding bombing the local newspaper office, the Belleville News-Democrat, and the St. Clair County Courthouse.
“My big mouth gets the best of me,” Lannert recalled. “Anybody with a lick of sense should have known that I was just joking.”
Howell and Lannert both acknowledged they would have conversations with each other to discuss their differences.
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