Local News

A Massachusetts town fought for weeks against a resident who desired to project a “Trump 2024” logo on the water tower, but a distinct message was conveyed after former President Donald Trump's decisive victory.

The “Trump 2024 flag” that was projected on Hanson's water tower for weeks morphed right into a red Punisher skull with an obvious Trump haircut, in response to several social media posts.

The city of Hanson said it had no further comment on the water tower Wednesday evening.

The Punisher Skull comes from Marvel Comics, a story a couple of vigilante and war veteran. But the skull has developed a disturbing lifetime of its own, said its creator Gerry Conway Guardian. It has been utilized by Navy SEALs and law enforcement, in addition to groups reminiscent of far-right militias and neo-Nazis, the Guardian reported.

Hanson had previously issued a cease-and-desist order to the resident who projected the brand and fined him a maximum of $100 per day, Hanson City Manager Lisa Green said last month.

“This leads the public to believe that this activity is being sanctioned or condoned by the city,” Green said in an announcement. “As a government entity, the City of Hanson does not endorse any political party candidate for office, nor does the City permit the display of political signs on municipal property.”

The political projection contradicts Hanson's Sign regulationswhich completely ban political messages on municipal property. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, municipalities are allowed to ban signs on public property so long as the regulations are content-neutral.

Since ordering, Hanson had used three spotlights to melt the image on the water tower.

The projection has been on the water tower for a minimum of 25 days, meaning the fines total over $2,500. Trump supporters also gathered in town to defend the resident, generally known as Mr. X, and lift money to cover the wonderful.