SALEM, OREGON (KATU/CNN) - A group in Salem, Oregon, is slamming a sign reading "Jesus loves strippers," but they say it's not for the message.
Instead, Brian Hines said his group - Salem Community Vision - is irked by the sign because it obstructs vision in a right-of-way.
"I mean, one, it's way bigger than the usual political sign," Hines said. "It's smack dab in the right-of-way. It's obscuring the vision...the sight line to the intersection. It didn't have to do with the message. We had no idea what Pole Gems was. Personally, I kind of like the idea of "Jesus loves strippers" even though I'm not religious. Who doesn't love strippers?"
Cynthia Shaver, the executive director and founder of Pole Gems, put the sign up. She said her group supports adult entertainment workers with free or low-cost services. The sign is part of a fundraising effort.
"One thing that I realized is that these people working in these clubs...sometimes the conditions are hard," Shaver, who worked as a cocktail waitress for 20 years, said. "It's a hard job."
According to Shaver, Pole Gems is a faith-based organization. They help struggling workers with things from baby showers to paying electric bills.
She said her sign was taken down and replaced with sign holders on Monday. A city spokesman said the sign is violating local ordinances. He added that two other political signs were likely violating the same law.
Hines and Salem Community Vision are after those signs, too.
Copyright 2017 KATU via CNN. All rights reserved.
