The Oakland County Road Commission recently removed a sign reading “Voices for Palestinians” located on Orchard Lake Road, citing “safety concerns.” The decision did not sit well with some Michigan residents, many of whom questioned it and believed the move was unfair.
As reported by The Detroit News, the sign, which was part of the county’s Adopt-A-Road program, was originally approved in 2025 and remained in place until recently. After its removal, commission spokesperson Craig Bryson said the sign had to be taken down for safety reasons at the direction of County Executive Dave Coulter.
Coulter claimed that West Bloomfield, where the sign is located, has a significant Jewish population and that the sign was near the recently attacked Temple Israel synagogue, which the FBI said was targeted by a Hezbollah-inspired individual. Because it could be perceived as “an act of provocation,” the sign was temporarily removed, and the commission will review the matter again.
Michigan Is Not Happy With the Sign Removed by the Oakland County Road Commission
Michigan residents were unhappy to see the sign removed, with many arguing that it did not promote hate in any way. One user said sarcastically, “How does a sign cause safety issues? What are people gonna do, steal it?”
Another individual said, “I am so disgusted by all of this talk of ‘they knew what they were doing when they picked THAT location.’ (…) Yes, they likely did know what they were doing by putting up a sign in support of Palestinians in a heavily Islamophobic area. That is where that kind of messaging is needed!”
Others claimed that “There are Zionist in this country that want nothing more than to disappear this entire group of people from the Earth forever (and then move onto every other Arab nation they possibly can). They’ll do whatever they have to to make that happen and so will their supporters, even something as minuscule as this adopt a road sign.”
A local also argued that “Palestinians didn’t attack the Temple in West Bloomfield. One guy attacked the Temple,” adding that it therefore made no sense to remove the sign. Another resident accused Oakland County officials of being “comprised of a bunch of tyrants.”
The sign’s future will likely depend on the outcome of the commission’s review, but it’s quite possible that it will not be returned.
