Mormon Family Supporting Traditional Marriage Targeted

SUV Denouncing Mormon Family's
Support for Prop 8 is Finally Moved

By Sandra Gonzales

10/22/2008 06:27:46 PM PDT

After San Jose residents Michele and Bob Sundstrom placed a Yes on 8 banner on their home, they found this sport-utility vehicle parked in front of their home Sunday with anti-Proposition 8 slogans painted on the windows.

At last, the SUV with the inflammatory slogans denouncing a San Jose family for supporting Proposition 8 is gone from Harwood Road.

"They came last night, washed the paint off and drove away," said Bob Sundstrom, whose family incurred the wrath of two gay-marriage supporters after the family hung a huge banner on their garage in favor of the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. "What a relief, I'm happy it's gone."

Sunday, two women in a Chevrolet Surbuban drove up in front of the Sundstrom's home and painted their sport-utility vehicle's windows with slogans accusing the devout Mormon family of seven of being "bigots" and "haters."

So for the next few days, the Sundstroms were forced to reckon with the eyesore. Police told them the vehicle would be towed away if was not moved in three days.

Tuesday evening, however, one of the women whom Sundstrom recognized from the previous encounter showed up, washed off the slogans and then left in the SUV.

"She wasn't in the mood for conversation. It's obvious we weren't going to change each other's view," Sundstrom said. "She brought her own bucket to wash off the paint."

The SUV is registered to Mara McWilliams and Renee Mangrum, who married in 2004 when San Francisco began performing gay marriages. Neither could be reached for comment.

Even now, the entire episode still rankles Sundstrom.

"It astounds me that someone would do this," he said. "It's been quite a civics lesson for me and my friends."

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_10788236?nclick_check=1&forced=true