Two weeks shy of Election Day, Davis resident Shelly Bailes, 83, found herself amidst a political statement unbeknownst to her own. Surveillance video taken from Bailes' home shows a UPS delivery driver, who was to be delivering packages next door, planting small flags in support of Donald Trump around Bailes' lawn, which was adorned with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz signs. The incident has raised concerns about respectful political discourse and a person’s right to free expression on their own property.
According to ABC10, Bailes, who has lived in Davis for 30 years, felt violated by the act. "He noticed my Harris sign, and I guess it upset him. And he proceeded to put Trump, little Trump flags all along the edge of my property and... he actually walked on my property and put a sign on my property," she said. Bailes reported the incident to UPS and the Davis police, but as police have taken an incident report, they are not pursuing it as a crime.
The driver's actions have not only raised concerns about political antagonism but also about trespassing and privacy. Bailes, a gay rights activist with a personal affinity to Vice President Harris, was left feeling unsafe. "I feel unsafe and I've never felt unsafe in Davis. I've lived here 30 years and Davis has always been a wonderful community to me. I've done a lot of political events and stuff, and I've never felt unsafe and now I do," Bailes told ABC10. Yet, despite her concern, Bailes has expressed she does not wish for the driver to lose his job, proposing instead that his delivery route be changed.
In response to the situation, a UPS spokesperson conveyed the company's stance, stating "We respect the right of all Americans to support their chosen candidate, however, we ask our employees to express their political views on their own time. We are investigating and will take appropriate action." The statement, obtained by ABC10, underscores the broader tension between personal freedoms and responsibilities in the workplace.
Bailes, who along with her late wife, made history as one of the first gay couples to be married in Yolo County, has a storied history with politics and social activism. She is known for supporting Harris because of the latter's definitive stance on same-sex marriage in California. "They wanted to wait 10 days before people could start getting married and Kamala said, ‘No, They waited long enough,'" Bailes recalled in an interview with FOX40.com. These ties have made the intrusion of her political stance by a delivery driver all the more personal and disquieting.
Bailes' experience shines a light on the broader narrative of today's political climate, where division often trumps dialogue. Calling for an end to the finger-pointing between political parties, Bailes makes a passionate plea for civility. "There’s so much animosity and hate going on, and it’s not right. We have a right to vote for whoever we want," she emphasized in her interview with FOX40.com. Her story is one of many that reveal the current stakes of American politics—not merely in the lawmaking halls but on the lawns of the nation's electorate.
