john mage
'Vote or Die' slogan sprayed at entrance days before election
By Lois Gormley
The Desert Sun
October 30, 2004
DESERT HOT SPRINGS -- Less than a week before election day, political graffiti sprang up Friday morning on the walls and stairway at the entrance to Desert Hot Springs High School.
"Vote or Die" was emblazoned on the walls at the foot of the stairway and the repeated message "Mas Def" was sprayed on the steps leading up the entrance, reported the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
"Vote or Die" is the slogan adopted by Citizen Change, a national non-partisan group founded by hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs to empower the more than 42 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 that are eligible to vote to get to the polls Nov. 2.
Combs, a rap musician, businessman, actor and producer formerly known as Puff Daddy, has been touring the country to spread his message, attending college rallies and making appearances on MTV.
According to the Citizen Change Web site, its mission is "to make voting hot, sexy and relevant to a generation that hasn't reached full participation in the political process."
The phrase "Mas Def" may be short for Mass Defense Committee of the National Lawyers Guild, said Desert Hot Springs Officer Dennis Decker.
The group's chapters have been connected to more high-profile stunts in San Francisco, New York and Boston in demonstrations against the "Bush Agenda."
The Desert Hot Springs High School sign was also defaced with spray paint and empty liquor bottles were secured to its top with some sort of silicone sealant, Decker said.
Additionally, "2005" and "Class of 2005" were sprayed on numerous surfaces at the entrance at the school, he said.
No arrests have been made but some evidence was collected at the scene early Friday morning, Decker said...