Time: 50 minutes
Wall Street Journal
By Michael Howard Saul
The controversial billboard in SoHo that linked an anti-abortion message with an image of a young black girl has been taken down, the company that owns the advertising space confirmed Thursday.
“It’s in the best interest to take it down,” said Peter Costanza, general manager of Lamar Advertising in New York. “I don’t want any violence to happen.”
The ad, located at Watts Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan, reads, “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.” That message is above a picture of a black girl wearing a sleeveless sundress.
Costanza said he received a report that critics of the sign harassed people at a nearby restaurant. He said he’s not taking a stand on the content of the ad but was concerned about plans for a protest.
Life Always, the antiabortion group that placed the ad, said it “strongly disagrees” with its removal because the “message holds true, and truth has a place in the public square.” The ad, which was to be up for a month, cost $20,000; the group is not expected to be charged.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the girl’s mother, Tricia Frasier, did not know her daughter’s image would be used for this type of political message. “I spoke with Tricia Frasier, who is pleased that her daughter’s image will no longer be seen on 6th Avenue”
Quinn said Frasier is pleased her daughter’s image will no longer be seen “in this offensive and inflammatory billboard that enraged so many of my constituents.”
The speaker is slated to meet with Frasier and some council members on Friday to discuss ways to protect the girl’s image in the future. “In the name of common decency, I call on all anti-abortion groups to pledge never to use this image again,” Ms. Quinn said.
Hal Kilshaw, a spokesman for Lamar, said the company is concerned about setting a precedent that controversial signs will be removed at the first whiff of protest. But he said the company needed to weigh the sign’s backers’ first-amendment rights versus “concerns about fairness to tenants in the area.”
I couldn't believe that an advertisement like this was actually approved. It does seem incredibly controversial to me. I know that everyone will have varying opinions on the advertisement depending on their personal opinion, but I feel that regardless of one being pro choice or pro life, a line was crossed when the ad was put up.
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