The often-contentious race for 76th District State Representative has taken another ugly turn, with a Lance Yednock direct-mail piece depicting a burning barn and language that states that a Travis Breeden victory would put our way of life at risk. The barn, and the American flag painted on it, are real. But the creators of the mailer manipulated the picture to show the barn, with the flag, burning.
The owners of the barn contacted WLPO and said that neither Yednock nor the Illinois Democratic Party used the image of their barn without their permission. To farmers, of course, a burning barn is a serious matter. The owners of the barn tell WLPO that they themselves are frightened, disturbed and disgusted by the Democratic mailer and what they see as the suggestion of violence if Yednock loses.
State Representative Lance Yednock responded saying the image in question was purchased from Getty images and could be used for any purpose. Yednock has spoke with the property owner and apologized for the misunderstanding. The image was not meant to invoke violence, he said. Yednock has spoken with his campaign, saying in hindsight, we would make a better choice. He added that if a homeowner believes an image of their property is being sold by Getty images without perimission, they should contact Getty
