Coronavirus Death Scoreboard Vandalized In Northbrook

NORTHBROOK, IL — A recently constructed display that tracks the total number of coronavirus deaths in the United States was vandalized Tuesday night, according to the creator. Lee Goodman, who unveiled the "COVID Death Scoreboard" Friday, told Patch it has been defaced four times since it went up.

The latest incident occurred between 7:20 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the display's location in Triangle Park, Shermer Road and Walters Avenue. Goodman, of Peaceful Communities, said it was spray-painted with graffiti. Most of the paint was used to obscure the name of President Donald Trump.

During the time the incident was happening, on a day the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus hit 200,000, the Northbook Village Board was discussing whether to allow the display to remain in place. At its regular meeting, and on the advice of Village Attorney Steven Elrod, the board decided that removing the display would violate the First Amendment and is not taking action.

The Village Board has received numerous emails and phone calls from residents about the display, some speaking at Tuesday night's meeting via email. Here is a sampling of some comments from emails read by Village President Sandy Frum:

• "When my 11-year-old son was on a bicycle [downtown] this past weekend with some friends, he told me there were moms and dads yelling and pushing each other across the street from the train. I immediately knew why this was happening, but the kids didn't...Why with all the hate and animosity that exists in our world and country today, why would we want to exploit this in downtown Northbrook on a platform our children have to observe every day and time they visit our beloved downtown." — Josh Kaplan, owner of Josh's Hot Dogs, in response to protests over the sign held over the weekend as reported by Fox News.
• "The sign needs to come down as soon as possible. It is appalling that the Village would allow for such a sign to be displayed, especially because it has a clear political message. Take it down." —Victoria Fisher, resident.
• "I'm shocked and disappointed that the Board approved something that is clearly politically motivated. Approving members of the Board were delinquent in their responsibilities to uphold the rules prohibiting political signs. Northbrook is a kind, peaceful community. There is no place for ugliness of politically motivated propaganda anywhere, especially on taxpayer-funded public grounds." — Mark Cassell, resident.
• "As someone who is at high risk for COVID, I strongly support Lee Goodman's sign. Quarantine fatigue is well-documented and is rampant in Northbrook. Glenbrook North is about to reopen and COVID-19 will be inevitably spreading as a result. The sign is a reminder of how important it is to wear a mask." — Catherine Caporusso, resident.

The biggest gripe, according to Goodman, is that the use of Trump's name on the display is an unnecessary political statement.

"We want to remind people to protect themselves and others by wearing masks and following other recommended procedures," Goodman said. "The display is also intended to urge people to demand that the federal government do a better job of controlling the spread of the virus. Many of the 200,000 victims would not have died if our government had responded more effectively. We need to do a better job."

After listening to Frum's reading of the emails from residents, members of the Village Board also weighed in.

"I love the passion that I heard from our community. I thought many of the comments we received were actually thoughtful and people had not only discussed how they felt about it personally, but took the time to read the ordinance and express concerns they had with it," Trustee Johannah Hebl said.

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Coronavirus Death Scoreboard To Be Unveiled In Northbrook