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The sign-mounting trick that stopped my protest signs from getting torn down
I volunteer with a free speech group on campus, and we kept having our cardboard signs ripped down within an hour during the big rally last fall. Someone suggested we try using zip ties and small PVC pipe pieces as backing instead of just tape and posterboard. We cut the pipe into 3-foot sections, taped our signs to them, and then zip-tied the pipes to the metal fence posts. It took maybe 20 minutes to set up 15 signs, but they stayed up for 3 whole days until the administration finally took them down with bolt cutters. The trick is that the PVC makes the sign rigid so wind doesn't rip it, and the zip ties are harder to yank off than tape. Has anyone else found a good way to keep your free speech displays from getting trashed or removed?
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willowg881mo ago
It's funny how the simplest hardware store stuff ends up being more effective than anything fancy. You see this all the time in everyday life though. Like how people use binder clips to fix their broken sunglasses or zip ties to hold their car bumpers on. The world runs on cheap plastic and determination, not expensive solutions. People get creative when they really want something to stick around, whether it's a sign or their own stuff.
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claire_young761mo ago
Gotta disagree though, sometimes the cheap fix makes it worse and you end up buying the fancy thing anyway.
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foster.tessa1mo ago
You said "people get creative when they really want something to stick around" and that got me thinking. How many of these cheap fixes actually last longer than a day? I've got a friend who used duct tape to hold his side mirror on and it worked for like two years until he sold the car. But then another buddy tried zip ties on his bumper and they snapped the first time he hit a pothole. Is it more about knowing which specific cheap fix works for that exact problem, or is there some magic in how determined you are?
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