The iconic LeBron James banner that has become a staple of downtown Cleveland will be taken down for the Republican convention.
Sherwin-Williams, whose headquarters the banner hangs on, will replace the banner with a sign that reads “This Land Is Our Land: 150 Years in Cleveland” for the convention.
The new sign will go up on July 5 and stay on the building for 90 days. The Republican convention will be held a Quicken Loans Arena from July 18-21, meaning the new sign will be up for two months after the convention ends.
That's a problem many in the city have, as a petition at Change.org has been created to keep the LeBron James banner in place, which has added the word “Champions” projected on it by laser after the Cavs won the NBA title on Sunday. The petition already has over 7,500 signatures.
“The banner is a symbol of persistence, promise and pride in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Northeastern Ohio,” the petition says. “Removing this banner will be a travesty to what we call Cleveland. We are proud, we are Cleveland and we are with our TEAM the Cavaliers! This banner is the BEST message we can show to anyone visiting our town for the RNC. Please leave the banner up.”
Sherwin-Williams originally hung a LeBron banner (all of which have been provided by Nike) in 2005 with the phrase "We Are All Witnesses." The banner came down when he left for the Heat in 2010, but the newest version of the banner was placed back on the building when he returned to the Cavs in 2014.
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