What a disgrace for the people who live in Cedar Grove - the store should issue an apology to the President and his family.

I see not racist intention, OMG.. Obama spreads racism, class warfare, apologies for America and is always putting America down. Enough is enough...This has to do with pride in America. Not Obama's crash and burn the country..

Regardless of free speech, some of these comments are rude and disgusting. You can think whatever you want about Obama the person. However, he is still the President of the United States and that office needs to be respected.

It's not a monkey...It's Zippy! He's so cute! I love it! People who view a 1950's stuff monkey toy from the Howdy Doody show that kids loved as racist might want to look at themselves, and how rediculous they sound. This president has divided this country like no other president in our history, to say a stuffed animal is prejudice achieves the goal. Than ask yourself why would any president want to intentionally divide this country. Before this president we were united and hard work was celebrated. (My groceries, and gas were half as well) Now we are suppose to think success is a bad thing and can't say anything unless we agree with this president or it's prejudice, or you might find the IRS at your door, or defending yourself in a courtroom. Ask yourself where the recent unjustified prejudice accusaions originated. Zippy would never lie! I strongly agree with the message. I'm not prejudice, but to say anyone who disagrees is prejudice is dangerous. If Don Ric wants to say something "for now" they have the right to do that. If you disagree you can do that too, for now they shouldn't have to remove it. 4 years from now it's up to you.

I can not speak to this individuals motivation in choosing a monkey to display his message, yet I do question given our shared history, his judgement- especially as a former councilman and trained law enforcement professional where it would be expected that he be highly trained in scouting out not so obvious messages as it relates to gang symbols and things of that nature. The first amendment allows for the freedom of speech no matter how malicious, vile, and disagreeable that speech may be. In this particular case though, I believe it might have been a temporary lapse in judgement versus a genuine racist message for his choosing of the monkey costume. The public might disagree with this view, believing that it was indeed racially motivated and to that I say simply, do not give his small business, any business. Show your discontent with your pockets! It's not logical to assume that a person who has dedicated his life to public service, be branded in one single incident, a racist but thats the world we live in today. In closing, do you remember Harvard Law Professor Gates accusation several years ago that his arrest was racially motivated and how the media and pubic were quick to crucify the officer and the Boston Police Department for making that arrest- only to learn that that Boston Cop was one of the leading diversity/race relation criminal justice educators in the country? How does this compare you might wonder? See the general in the particular!

utoh............the comments that were rude and disgusting have apparently been removed by the editor! I guess I'm not the only one who thought so.

FYI, Oboma is not black or white nor dose he have any experience to run this country or my life. Are you better off now? Work heard to give your money to ligules and deadbeats and country's that hate us, If that POS some how gets back in I’m going on welfare

An effigy of the president as a monkey is about as racist as you can get. Don't EVEN try to sugarcoat that one. But hey we as a nation, you guys, are probably more sexist than racist at this point. Any fool who supports Romney or Ryan is a downright misogynist. I'll go with the black guy.......

what are ligules?

and what is "work heard"? New language you invented?

I don't understand why people are so pissed at the president, it's the congress that got nothing done during his term. I have never seen such a catastrophe, the congress even voted against President Obama to fund infrastructure funding......because he's black and they want to see him fail? How does that make sense? It is pathetic how appallingly PETTY people are.....our useless congressional representatives and most of the posters on this site. i.e., the general population are critically stupid. Nothing gets done for the general good of a nation when people can't see past their petty differences.

Regardless of your political affiliation, this is racist. Whoever decided that this was a good idea should be ashamed of him or herself. Local residents should avoid this business.

Of course it was racist and the owner being a former Police Officer should have every ticket or arrest reviewed for his entire career when it involved a minority. People don't change their behavior. Given the comments on the article Cedar Grove ought to be in Alabama. Decent people should put the man out of business. He wants to get involved in politics that is his business but an overtly racist public display ought to carry a price from the public.

racist? or just bad judgement? not thought out before doing

Political correctness gets sicking, People grow up there is nothing intentional racist about this, only the ones that have racism on their minds, they are the true racists.
Is showing George Bush as a monkey racist??? There are many more like this.

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushmonkey3.htm

First of all everyone knows that referring to a African-American as a monkey is racist. It was used as a racial slur. Just like if I put a cracker face and used Romney as the body, everyone will know what I meant. Please stop trying to insult our intelligence.

Are you racists just as dumb as you sound or are you just ignorant of the history of Black-Monkey racism which has been a horrible part of American history for centurys including the justification of Slavery and Jim Crow Laws. Here is just a small bit of recent history. That this man was a Police Officer and an elected official is disturbing.

"In fact, several public incidents have linked the proliferation of these images to elected officials in the Republican Party. One specific episode involving anti-Black monkey imagery happened in April 2011. A Tea activist and Orange County Republican Party official Marilyn Davenport made headlines when it was revealed that she had sent out an email with the President depicted as the offspring of chimpanzees. The text of the email read, "Now you know why no birth certificate." She claimed to have not thought about the "historic implications" of the image, despite the fact that she had earlier defended a fellow Orange County Republican for having sent out an image of the White House lawn as a watermelon patch with the message, "No Easter egg hunt this year."

Everyone has misinterpreted this! The monkey does not represent President Obama. It is wearing an anti Obama shirt, so the monkey represents the league of knee jerk Obama haters and ditto heads who allow their primitive fears to overshadow their intellect.

very poor taste. Obama has ads inferring that Romney is a murderer. Reid saying Romney has not paid taxes in ten years. Rubbish and a lie. This citizen has showed no class insulting the President with this display.
i wish our President and his rabid supporters would show some class and stop the fear and smear tactics they are filling the airwaves with. Obama is setting a terrible tone for this country, so i am afraid it will not get better anytime soon. Chicago politics and President whose policies are ruining our country.

What going on with some of these people thing, a monkey is a monkey, putting omg (Obama) t shirt on it does represent disrespect to our president.

I demand to see Mittwit's birth certificate! I don't believe he was really born in the USA. He was born in Mexico like his grandfather. Why won't he show us his birth certificate and his tax returns?

Yes, this is a disrespect to the President of the USA, and it was racist. Just think this person was a law enforcement. You just have to pray for people like him