Anti-war activist puts principal’s name in a pile of poop

By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI

David Quinly is used to getting trash tossed into his yard and taking unconventional steps to protect his home turf.

Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Prairie Village resident started painting anti-war signs and posting them in his front yard on Roe Avenue. Over the past five years, his slogans have included cryptic messages (“Be thankful we’re killing more of their children than they are of ours”) and obvious outrage (“Dubya- Stop murdering the poor in Iraq and help the poor in New Orleans”) in opposing American military aggression in the Middle East.

In 2003, he spotted a jogger kicking down one of his placards and called the cops as he chased the Fairway resident down the street. After being charged with criminal damage of property, the offending runner paid Quinly $500 for his lawn-sign losses. In 2005, Quinly was on the other side of the law when he was cited by the city of Prairie Village for violating the municipal sign ordinance because his placards were too big. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, Quinly got the sign law struck down in district court.

But Quinly’s latest creation has nothing to do with the war. His target isn’t the president or Congress. On a placard erected this week, Quinly publicly anointed the assistant principal at Wyandotte High School a “chickenshit.”