JOHNSTON, Iowa — For folks driving into Johnston along NW Beaver Drive, the first thing they'll see is a sign welcoming them to one of the fastest-growing cities in the state.
After that, they'll see another sign that many deem to be offensive towards women, especially women of color.
A sign on the Boat House bar reads, in part, "Joe and the Ho gotta go." As recently as Monday, the sign also linked to a pornographic website. That part of the sign has now been covered up.
As of Wednesday night, the sign said:
"TRUMP 2024 NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
BEFORE YOU DEFUND LAW ENFORCEMENT
MAKE SURE THE NEXT LIFE THEY SAVE ISN'T YOURS
JOE AND THE HO GOTTA GO!
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS: "
Luana Nelson-Brown, who lives near the bar, said it caught her off guard.
"The first thing I said was, 'Oh, that's what we're doing now? We're just calling Black women hoes?'" she said.
Nelson-Brown, who is Black, said the sign is "beyond offensive."
"To use that derogatory term against our sitting, current Vice President of the United States, who is also the first Black, Asian, and woman to hold that office, is not only racist, but also sexist," said Nelson-Brown. "And downright anti-patriotic."
The City's mayor, Paula Dierenfeld, agrees.
"I think I can speak for the entire city council when I say that we find that sign very offensive," said Mayor Dierenfeld. "I personally believe the sign is very degrading to women."
Dierenfeld said she began receiving complaints about the sign last Thursday.
"I've been the mayor here in Johnston for several years and there is not one issue that I have received so many complaints about than this issue," said Dierenfeld.
She said she immediately contacted the city attorney and asked him to review the sign to provide advice on what the legal options would be. At Tuesday's city council meeting, he presented a few options.
"In addition to getting the preliminary advice from our attorney, we're also going to look at...does this violate any campaign sign laws? Let's look at it from that angle. Is this hate speech? Kind of think outside the box, be creative. Are there other legal ways to attack this sign?" Dierenfeld said.
Local 5 asked bar staff inside the Boat House if management would like to comment, and they declined. We spoke with several neighbors who said they didn't particularly mind the sign, and they'd rather stay out of it.
We also reached out to several people who voiced their support for the bar on social media. They declined to do an interview.
Nelson-Brown said this situation especially stings the Black community, after there was pushback from many community members over the hiring of Louis Fountain, Johnston School District's first-ever director of equity, inclusion, and belonging.
"We're just coming off of a previous battle with the school district and the hiring of Louis Fountain," Nelson-Brown said. "We're already on tenuous ground in Johnston. This did nothing but make things worse."