A Michigan city has removed hundreds of neighborhood watch signs, arguing that the move will make the community more “inclusive.”
Ann Arbor officials said the decision is part of a shift in how the city will approach messaging around public safety.
The removal of the signs was adopted by a unanimous 10-0 City Council vote in December, according to The Midwesterner.
City leaders contended that the signs no longer align with modern liberal values.
10 people sit on Ann Arbor’s city council.
10 voted to spend $18k taking down “unwelcoming” Neighborhood Watch signs.
0 said “wait, this sounds insane.”
At every level of government, Democrats prioritize the feelings of criminals over the citizens they were elected to serve. pic.twitter.com/kql5I1EwKS
— Lisa McClain (@LisaForCongress) April 29, 2026
“These programs were often rooted in assumptions about who did and did not ‘belong’ in a neighborhood,” a resolution cited by MLive stated.
That same resolution argued neighborhood watch programs reinforced “race-based hyper-vigilance and suspicion,” especially toward black people and other minorities.
Officials also claimed the signs contributed to “patterns of exclusion under the guise of public safety,” The Midwesterner reported.
The city ultimately removed more than 600 signs across Ann Arbor, Fox News reported.
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor pulled $18,000 from the city’s CASH RESERVES to remove 600 neighborhood watch signs.
His reason, in his own words: “Neighborhood watch signs are expressions of exclusion.”
Councilmember Jen Eyer joined in. The 10-0… pic.twitter.com/fncwNBHMZk
— Commentary: Rush Limbaugh News (@ElRushboNews) April 30, 2026
In a statement, the city said the move aligns with its “commitment to inclusive, evidence-based public safety.”
Mayor Christopher Taylor went further, calling neighborhood watch signs “expressions of exclusion,” according to Fox News.
Here’s the Ann Arbor Mayor and a City Council critter who led a unanimous vote to ban anti-crime Neighborhood Watch signs because they’re “too excluding,” as in excluding criminals (isn’t that the point?) Look at those faces. Don’t they provide a perfect example of the people… pic.twitter.com/ROiERkipBy
— MIDistrict9 (@MIDistrict9) May 1, 2026
City Council member Jen Eyer echoed that view, saying the program harkens back to a time when safety meant “monitoring and surveilling who belonged.”
Eyer said the city no longer wants to send that message to residents or visitors.
The resolution described the signs as relics of the 1970s, a time the left-wing city leaders say was defined by “national anxiety about crime and social change.”
Officials now argue the signage does not reduce crime and may instead foster fear.
The city estimated the removal project would cost taxpayers roughly $18,000, with funds drawn from cash reserves.
At the same time, crime trends in Ann Arbor have shown upticks.
Downtown crime is up 9 percent, with violent crime rising 11 percent, according to data compiled by The Midwesterner.
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