A social worker says the village of Nyack forced him to remove a sign quoting former President Abraham Lincoln.

Joe Hazucha is a social worker, human rights activist and Army Medical Service Corps veteran. He says the 6-by-4-foot sign hung from his Main Street business in opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration, especially when it comes to immigration.

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution," the sign reads.

Hazucha says he paid $300 for the sign, which quotes one of his favorite presidents.

"I think (Abraham Lincoln) was a person who believed in this country and wanted to unify it and not tear it apart," he says.

But days after hanging the sign, his landlord got a notice saying he needed a permit to hang it. Hazucha says he then applied for the permit at Village Hall.

News 12 didn't immediately hear back from village officials for comment. But News 12 did find a provision in the village code requiring permits for signs on the exterior of buildings.

Hazucha says his should be an exception, and he plans to make a case to reinstall the sign at the next village board meeting on Sept. 13.