No, it's not time to rethink real estate For Sale signs, Mr. Messina [Viewpoints, March 19]. Yes the real estate market is down and perhaps your business is having a downturn, and some folks might find this a hard time for real estate sales, but bringing back For Sale signs is not the answer.

Mr. Messina feigns concern about the poor sellers; signs are not going help make the market come back.  He appears to want just to take advantage of the situation by advocating for the free advertising that he is really promoting and the commercial free speech he is really asking for. Oak Park has been a very strong market without signs and possibly more desirable than surrounding areas because of it, not despite it.

Since the original reason for not using For Sale signs was one of many actions that helped Oak Park become the diverse and strong community it is today, the tradeoff seems to be one of easing his business concerns against the community's strength in diversity-not much of a contest if you ask me.

Mr. Messina suggests panic-peddling is a thing of the past. It certainly isn't as blatant and pervasive as it was, but that is partially due to removing the tools used, like the For Sale signs, and the strong commitments like Oak Park's to prevent those actions, but that is more an exception, not a rule.

Human nature has not changed much, where some people will do anything to make money. Sometimes people, including real estate professionals, just can't help themselves by trying to take advantage of a situation and the danger of those practices still exist.

Oak Park has been blessed with many real estate agents and businesses that understand the ideals and goals of the community, some being practical and some being symbolic and understand that the community's strength is, in the long run, their best marketing tool ever.

I find it ironic the letter was in the same issue as the article by Rob Breymaier of the Regional Housing Center on how diversity can be fragile, and we need to constantly work on it. Mr. Breymaier mentioned how the structure of segregation continues to dominate the region and how much is owed to the vanguard of the previous generation that witnessed the panic-peddling and found solutions toward diversity. I'm part of that generation. I recall the problems that were overcome by various efforts like sign limitations and would rather not go backwards. 

No thanks. Mr. Messina's commercial interests should not be considered against the community interests in maintaining diversity.

Kurt Hedlund

Oak Park