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In Hanson saga, Trump-Punisher image gets sent up onto municipal water tower
An image of President-elect Donald Trump merged with the comic book character The Punisher was projected on a municipal water tower in the town of Hanson Wednesday.
The logo, a dripping skull insignia, has grown in popularity among Trump supporters and others as a symbol of support for the police and military. It's also increasingly been used or associated with white supremacists.
In a statement Wednesday, Town Administrator Lisa Green said the town was taking measures to block the projected image.
"We would like to reiterate that the Town of Hanson does not endorse any political candidate, party or platform in any election, and that Town bylaws prohibit the display of political symbols or signage on government property," she said.
In October, the town sent a cease-and-desist letter to a property owner who projected "Trump 2024" on the water tower. It is unclear if the same person projected the combination Punisher/Trump image.
The Punisher character was originally created as a reaction to the failures of government at home and in the Vietnam War — not as a "good guy" along the lines of Captain America or Spider-Man, but as a "vigilante anti-hero."
A variation of The Punisher logo showed up with some white supremacists marching in the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, and most recently it appeared on some of the armed insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
