Dave Bendelier never imagined his political views would find him worried for his safety.
He had displayed a Donald Trump campaign sign in his car. After finding his car was vandalized Saturday morning, Bendelier’s now urging others to be careful about what they show in public.
"I can't believe this is just an isolated incident,” he said. "Why go after an individual or a business?"
The 73-year-old veteran walked out to his car early Saturday to find the driver-side windows and the rear window to his 1998 Cadillac shot out.
"I actually think it was a pellet gun,” he said.
The south Kansas City native also had a tire slashed on his SUV. Bendelier believes it’s because of his Trump campaign sign he’s displayed in his window.
"Because I had Trump-Pence for president,” he said. "This is coming out of my pocket and all I did was exercise my right to vote."
As protests continue to mount across the country following Donald Trump’s presidential win, including here in Kansas City, reports of vandalism seemingly continue to grow as well.
Bendelier joked that he would “almost like to put up a bigger sign,” but will be taking it down. He also wants to urge others to be very cautious before displaying their signs during the current controversial political climate.
"What happens if another person has a Trump sticker on the back of the car?” he said. "I'm concerned with any other person that has a 'I supported Trump. I voted Republican,' and there's confrontation."
Requests to KCPD regarding the number of vandalism reports received since the election have not been immediately answered.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
