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UPDATED: We know meaning behind strange billboards
By gabesemenza in Crowdsourcing
May 7, 2009

UPDATE: READ THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG. WE LEARNED TODAY WHAT THE BILLBOARDS MEAN.

A man who says he has a lot of "dirt" on someone or some entity in Victoria advertised his second strange public message in the last two weeks.

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Kudos to the Victoria Advocate higher-up who spotted the billboard today.

The billboard is on Main Street a few miles north of Rio Grande Street. It reads, "I'm going to tell everybody and show them how you STEAL every time you get the chance. Now do I have your attention Victoria?"

The man who placed the ad wishes still to remain anonymous. He promises on May 29 to explain this billboard and support with facts any claims he has. He also swears the ads are not a publicity stunt to kickoff a new business.

Today, he said, "I don’t play lightly. If I’m going this far, I’ve got facts on stuff. I've got one more billboard coming up. I can’t tell you anything else, but they’re stealing every chance they get. Why the billboards? I want everyone to take notice. Whoo. Victoria’s never going to be the same.”

Two weeks ago, I blogged about this billboard, which he purchased the week of Monday, April 20:

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After tracking down the man who paid for the ad, he said, "I've got dirt, man. There's some stealing going on and nobody in this town wants to talk about it. It’s happening right under everyone’s nose and no one wants to talk about it. I promise you one thing, I’ll tell you and only you.”

The man also says this isn't a stunt for financial gain.

That's the latest on the mysterious billboards. Let me know if you learn what they mean.

Gabe Semenza / Advocate public service editor.

IMPORTANT

Today, Friday, May 8, we learned the meaning behind the billboards, which was confirmed with the man who placed the ads. Advocate reporter Sonny Long cracked the code, and I confirmed it with the man who placed the ads. The May 29 announcement will not reveal any nefarius activity in Victoria or uncover any injustices. Because of the nature of the announcement, we agreed not to publish the billboards' meaning now. We don't want to steal any thunder from these efforts. This is an advertising campaign, I should say, and one that draws attention to something that appears could be good for Victoria.