Butler residents have expressed disdain for a flag containing a swear word being displayed on a house in the city along Fairground Hill Road, which is traveled by students on their way to school and senior citizens gathering at a senior center. The expletive has been blocked out to make the photograph suitable for publication.

Anne Schirra Baker drives through Fairground Hill Road to get to downtown Butler and, within the past few months, has noticed a flag that reads “F*** Biden” displayed on a house along the route.

The house has light blue siding, a wooden staircase with a few crooked steps and a waist-high wooden board separating the steps from the porch, and it displays a few other flags.

Schirra Baker said this one in particular bothered her because of its use of the expletive. To her, the sign says something more than its two words.

“It's the profanity and it reminded me of seeing graffiti spread across walls,” Schirra Baker said. “It's not a good look for the community.”

Schirra Baker said she understands the First Amendment right of free speech makes a flag like this not illegal. However, she said she has contacted city, county, state and even federal representatives in hopes they will help remove profane signs in Butler.

One of her biggest concerns is that this flag in particular is on a school bus route, and near the Tanglewood Center. School buses bringing athletic teams to Butler from out of town may also pass by the sign.

“It gives the message, especially to the children, that this is OK,” Schirra Baker said. “It says the community may not possess the family values it thinks it is portraying.”

Butler Councilman Bob Dandoy said the city has an ordinance against profanity, but its language may not completely be effective for an issue like this. However, the council has been approached.

“The ordinance says you are not allowed to have signs in the city displaying profanity,” Dandoy said. “We know that clashes head to head with political signs. We don't know what we can do at this point in time, but it's something we are very aware of.”

Dandoy said the city sent a letter to the house, but has received no response as of yet.

“We have reached out to the owner of the house in hopes they would help us to come to some sort of common sense agreement without making it into a major confrontation,” he said. “With school starting and everything we thought we could appeal to common sense, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.”

Marsh Miller, a resident of Butler Township, spoke at the Wednesday meeting of the Butler County commissioners, and said profanity is not necessary for himself and others to understand the message.

“They can show their support or their opposition; that's fine,” Miller said. “But the profanity, I just don't think there's a place for it.”

Schirra Baker said she would rather see people engage in dialogue than resort to using profanity as their message.

“People are very emotional about either side because now they're considering themselves as part of a side,” she said. “I have not seen any good dialogue about this issue.”

Dandoy agreed.

“It's not the sentiment of the flag; it's the word,” he said. “You can have signs supporting Trump or whoever you want; it's the profanity that people have a problem with.”