Outrage erupts over Proud Boys recruiting billboard near Clinton County school
Social-media outrage over a Proud Boys billboard placed near a Breese high school erupted over the weekend and resulted in dozens of phone calls to public officials and a statement from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
Christine Sohnrey, 60, of New Baden, was among those who posted photos of the billboard on Facebook.
“Yes, that Proud Boys,” she wrote. “The violent extremist hate group tied to January 6th. And now their garbage is staring our kids in the face every single day on their way to school.
“This is not just a sign. It’s an attempt to normalize hate. To recruit. To intimidate. To tell our children that violence and white supremacy are welcome in our community. Well, they’re not. Not here. Not ever.”
Sohnrey and others are expected to attend a Clinton County Board meeting on Monday night to voice opposition to the billboard.
The Proud Boys is a far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that has been associated with political violence, including the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Federal prosecutors secured seditious-conspiracy convictions against top Proud Boys leaders, including former Chairman Enrique Tarrio, who received a 22-year sentence. President Donald Trump pardoned Tarrio and others when he returned to office in January for a second term.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the Proud Boys as a “hate group,” and the Anti-Defamation League describes the organization as “extremist.” Canada designated it “terrorist entity” in 2021.
The billboard went up in Clinton County late last week, according to County Board Chairman Brad Knolhoff. It’s along old U.S. 50, just outside of Breese, near Central Community High School.
“Faith, family, freedom, brotherhood,” the billboard reads. A laurel wreath, which symbolizes victory, is shown with the terms “stand back” and “stand by” from Trump’s controversial comments about the Proud Boys during a 2020 presidential debate.
The billboard encourages people to join the organization and lists a phone number with a 618 area code and website address. A call to the number on Monday indicated that the voicemail was full.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office denounced the billboard’s placement, saying it has no place in Illinois.
“A few wasted advertising dollars will not change the fact that there are millions of Americans who, regardless of political affiliation, know them as an extreme fringe organization that does not reflect who the people of Illinois are,” spokesman Alex Gough wrote in a statement.
The Proud Boys didn’t immediately respond to an interview request submitted through the organization’s website on Monday.
Knolhoff said the county is willing to listen to area residents, but officials can’t require the billboard to be taken down because of the First Amendment right to free speech.
“I don’t like anything that comes (into our county) that sows division, whether it’s from the far right or the far left,” he said. “Anything that is meant to be controversial, I’m not a fan of it.
“But I’m not the person who decides what gets to be stated and what doesn’t. That’s not my job. I can personally dislike something, but I have no authority to restrict someone’s speech, and people should be glad that I don’t have that authority.”
Knolhoff said he has received about 20 calls of concern about the billboard, including one from as far away as Seattle, Washington. Dustin Foutch, school superintendent for Central District 71, also received calls, including one from a New Jersey woman.
Foutch said only a couple of students had mentioned the billboard, but he sent a statement to district parents to keep them informed.
“At Central, we love our students and EVERY child is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve,” he wrote. “We believe that all students have the right to attend a school where they can be themselves and feel safe, and we work extremely hard to make that possible.
“Our hope is that this billboard will give parents, and our community at-large, the opportunity to discuss what values we stand for, and we are optimistic that the advertisement will not be used to sow hate and division.
“Clinton County is known as a place where we take care of our neighbors, and it is that virtue that makes this an awesome place to live and work.”
Breese Mayor Kevin Timmermann emphasized that the billboard is on county land, though his city is closest to it. He said legal counsel has cautioned officials to “watch what we are saying about it.”
“For me personally, I am very opposed to this,” Timmermann said. “I am totally opposed to it. I am concerned about it, yes. But right now I have no authority over that sign.”
The Proud Boys billboard originally was paired with a sign advertising St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese. On Monday afternoon, a worker moved the billboard to the other side of the stand so it was facing the opposite direction. He declined comment.
Capitol News Illinois contributed information for this report.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM.
