Drivers Stunned To See Racial Slur On Digital Sign In North Carolina

Screenshot: WRAL

Drivers traveling along a North Carolina road were shocked to see a digital sign displaying the racial slur “n****r” last Friday. The North Carolina Department of Transportation stated that an unknown perpetrator had hacked the sign at some point overnight, WRAL reports. The sign’s vulgar message was removed by the following morning, but this wasn’t an outlier incident for the agency.

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The sign belonged to contractors Branch Civil and Flatiron and was placed about ten miles southwest of Raleigh. The organizations involved say the sign was hacked. It wasn’t as technically complex as it seems. While NCDOT says the display had both a lock and a passcode, the agency also stated that the equipment wasn’t locked at the time of the incident. The contractors gave a statement to WRAL about the profane display:

“The Flatiron-Branch team is extremely dismayed by the act of vandalism at one of our local construction projects. We regret that area residents experienced this offensive action. We are investigating how this could have happened and are taking steps to prevent it from happening again. Each day, the people of Flatiron and Branch strive to build an inclusive culture and contribute to the well-being of the communities where we live and work.”

Digital displays are relatively easy to interfere with for the dedicated vandal. Digital displays are becoming more prevalent than ever and are even being used as license plates. The only way to prevent similar incidents is for road management agencies to ensure that all security precautions are taken and the signs are monitored consistently. Why the vandal would choose to display a racial slur is another important question.