CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) "expressed concern" Saturday over a sign that was displayed by a business in Castle Rock.
The image on a digital sign outside Patriot Pros Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical appeared to depict a Nazi guard shooting a Jewish concentration camp prisoner.
The following sentence was also displayed on the sign: "Hitler gave Jews the gift of gun control, you know, because he cared about their safety."
The sign is pictured below. Reader discretion is advised.
ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin issued the following statement Saturday afternoon:
"After receiving calls from community members concerned about the sign, ADL reached out to Patriot Pros yesterday to express our view that Holocaust analogies should be avoided when talking about contemporary political and ideological debates. We pointed out that such a sign has an impact beyond what may have been intended. A representative of the company said that the image and text had now been removed."
"The Holocaust will be forever remembered as one of the most horrific events of the 20th century. There is simply no equivalent event, historical or current, that compares with it. While individuals should certainly learn lessons from the Holocaust and seek to ensure that the actions of Nazi Germany are never repeated, we must also take care to avoid directly comparing them to modern-day events. Failure to do so not only cheapens the memory of millions killed by the Nazis, it also diminishes society's ability to effectively address the actual substance of the problem."
Patriot Pros owner Javier Hoggard issued this statement Saturday evening:
"It has been made clear to us that an image we used in our outdoor advertising at our office came across as extremely upsetting to members of our community, including members of the Jewish Faith. While my intention was to make a statement about our 2nd Amendment Rights and the dangers of Government Overreach, the message was misconstrued and taken out of context. I immediately took the imagery down the moment we got our first complaint. Hours later, after the imagery had been removed, a local Rabbi called our office and spoke with me about why the image was a sensitive issue for the Jewish community. After that conversation, I fully understand the mistake that was made and am deeply sorry for coming across as so callous and offensive. It was never my intention to do any harm, upset anyone or cause damage to our relationship with the community we love and strive to help so much."
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