Estrella Benavides of San Mateo, CA will face fines or jail if she refuses to cover up signs she painted all over her house describing a government conspiracy and her unusual opinions on a variety of other matters. According to the San Mateo City Council, the signs violate city codes. From a San Francisco Chronicle article published before last week's ruling that the signs have to go:
Benavides, a 48-year-old woman who lives alone in her yellow house on Cottage Grove Avenue, began painting the giant messages about a year ago, about the time her husband moved out and she lost custody of her son. Last month, she had two large pins inserted through her lips, to keep her from eating as part of a religious fast. God told her to do that, too…The messages are a barely intelligible garble involving cloning, abuse, rape, the Mafia, Castro, Hitler, the Constitution, hurricane Katrina, Watergate and President Bush. Link
From an Associated Press article on Tuesday:
Benavides, 47, who also broadcasts the messages from a loudspeaker on her car's roof, has said the messages come to her from God through a statue at her church and from the Bible…
"They're telling me based on the San Mateo sign code that I'm violating the law," Benavides said. "I'm telling them based on the U.S. Constitution that their sign code violates the law. Link (via Fortean Times)
