Police in Pittsburg, California said on Sunday that they were taking “legal action” to remove a sign that advocates for lynching black Americans.

James Thompson revealed in a Tweet on Saturday that his sister had taken a photo of the sign, which read, “You can hang a n****r from a tree / Equal rights he will never see!”

This picture was taken in Pittsburgh California. My sister texted this to me 10 minutes ago.Our democracy is being tested even in California pic.twitter.com/gDLKw54Lox

— James Thompson (@JETBallin) November 13, 2016

Thompson noted that the sign had been reported to the FBI and local authorities.

In a statement on its official twitter account, the Pittsburg Police Department said on Sunday that it was taking action to have the sign removed.

@JETBallin We are aware of it and are taking appropriate legal action to have it removed.

— Pittsburg Police, CA (@PittsburgPD) November 13, 2016

Details about the owner and exact location of the sign were not immediately available.

UPDATE: The Pittsburg Police Department released a statement on Sunday afternoon that said, “The homeowner is an African American male who has continued to display offensive signs. The legal effort is ongoing.”

@JETBallin The homeowner is an African American male who has continued to display offensive signs. The legal effort is ongoing.

— Pittsburg Police, CA (@PittsburgPD) November 13, 2016

The homeowner told KRON4 that the sign was a protest against the court system. “This is why I put up the sign because no one would help us,” Alonzo Parker explained.

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