It took longer than expected, but our first billboard is finally up in Philadelphia. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Your generous contributions of money and creative talent are greatly appreciated.

Although an early prototype was approved by ClearChannel, they later rejected all of our top designs, as did several other big billboard owners. We finally found a vendor with an appropriate location and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

The winning design that was accepted was the “Got Dignity” design featuring provocative photos by Max Tromby (https://mprophetphoto.blogspot.com).

The location is Schuylkill Expressway N/O Hartranft (Lat: 39.91347, Long: -75.19207). It is in rotation for 8 weeks on an 48′ x 14′ electronic billboard. I’ll post live photos as soon as I can escape the snow.

Below is the press release going out tomorrow.

Thanks again to everybody! Our job now is to replicate this around the country. If you are interested in having a similar billboard near your airport, email [email protected].

To contribute to the next billboard, click here.

Jim Babb

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  January 28, 2011

We Won’t Fly Launches Nationwide Billboard Campaign against TSA

First Billboard on Display in Philadelphia

For more information, please contact:

James Babb (610-574-1222 or [email protected])

George Donnelly (941-538-6399 or [email protected])

Philadelphia, PA – Taking its message beyond airports, We Won’t Fly launched a nationwide billboard campaign to further raise awareness of and activism against the TSA’s ineffective, dangerous and invasive air travel “scan and grope” procedures. The first billboard went on display in the Philadelphia area along the Schuylkill Expressway on January 26th.

“The graphic is admittedly controversial as it features two provocative images from photo artist Max Trombly, showing two tearful women being assaulted by trademark TSA blue gloves,” remarked We Won’t Fly co-founder James Babb. “Clear Channel thought it too controversial. Fortunately, there are other billboard owners who support our freedom of expression and value liberty more than the status quo.”

Babb continued, “Scores of billboard images were submitted by We Won’t Fly supporters nationwide. Our staff enhanced their submissions to obtain ten candidate billboards from which one was selected in a Facebook contest. Our terrific on-line supporters made us proud by contributing enough money to pay for the billboard in only six days. What better rejection of the TSA security theater could there be?”

The Philadelphia billboard will be seen 1.5 million times in the first month. The protest campaign is expanding beyond airport TSA checkpoints to high-visibility billboard locations to take the message to the public.

We Won’t Fly’s George Donnelly elaborated further, “While many people have little choice about flying because of job and time commitments, many others have greater discretion. We want to bring home the stark reality to them so that they can think about what government is doing to people at airports. Armed with this knowledge, they and their families avoid air travel while ‘scan and grope’ are standard handling procedures. A significant drop off in discretionary travel will send a strong economic message to industry that people won’t fly until they’re treated like paying customers and not jailed convicts.”

James Babb concluded by saying, “Further ad campaigns are planned in other cities. This billboard campaign launch is exciting because we learned so much from it. We intend to replicate this success across the country.?

Note the winning billboard entry is found at: https://tinyurl.com/GotDignity

The image license was donated by Max Trombly (https://mprophetphoto.blogspot.com/).

We Won’t Fly, a grassroots organized and funded consumer effort, encourages travelers to stop flying until the TSA security theater has been replaced with real passenger security and to demand that airlines join with concerned consumers to develop effective solutions that don’t trample basic human dignity and privacy. For more information, visit www.WeWontFly.com.

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11 Responses to We Won’t Fly Billboard Campaign Takes Flight!

  1. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Glossology, Caleb Allen, thomas_quinlan, Alan Staten, mike voissem and others. mike voissem said: RT @WeWontFly: Now: We Won't Fly Billboard Campaign takes flight! https://bit.ly/dSRkxW #wontfly #tsa #fb [...]

  2. Anonymous says:

    [...] George Donnelly (941-538-6399 or [email protected]) I know I'll be contributing! https://wewontfly.com/we-wont-fly-bil…n-takes-flight __________________ AIT Images – What has been SEEN, Cannot be UN-SEEN, and sure makes good [...]

  3. jon says:

    Kudos to We Won’t Fly — well done! Great wording, and visually stunning. Very powerful! Lots of excitement in the Flyertalk forum too, with people interested in replicating it elsewhere.
    jon recently posted..How can we use PrivChat to press for privacy rights REVISEDMy ComLuv Profile

  4. [...] We Won’t Fly campaign has announced that its first billboard is up near Philadelphia. It gets the point across quite well, I [...]

  5. BJ says:

    I will contribute $50 to a Billboard in California. How to know?

  6. AC says:

    Great job! I have some suggestions for your next efforts: Perhaps you will think about using a man, or and elderly person, or a non-white person as model for the victim next time? I think that might trigger even more responses and make people really think about this issue. Using a young woman to portray the victim just seems too ordinary, less shock value since this type of images are a lot more common (sadly). Thanks for the great work.

  7. Danielle Watson says:

    Wow! Very impressive! I think this is THE perfect message, very tasteful and gets straight to the point! I have not flown since this whole thing started and my son is getting married in April and I am taking a long road trip instead of flying to attend (from Vegas to Kansas and back).
    I am really surprised that “religion” hasn’t come into play much stronger with this whole matter! I mean, come on, I can’t imagine seeing a priest/nun, or any clergy being groped by TSA, of course let alone anyone else. I can’t even go to the airport anymore. I just couldn’t stand seeing that whole mess and the time involved to now catch a flight…
    Has We Won’t Fly set up a pay-pal website for donations? Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve been here?
    Thanks to you all!! A task well done!

  8. concerned citizen says:

    CONGRATULATIONS AND KUDDOS!!!
    I think this will be very effective and you guys are doing such great work! Bravo!!
    I hope the day comes that the Feds themselves are sued for this.
    a) Above and beyond 4th amendment violations (right to be free from warrantless search and seizure without probable cause), b) the first amendment is being violated (free speech, because people who object are being most singled out according to the ACLU). c) Virtual gunpointing: This is an undiscussed corner and I want to see this in lawsuits all around the country. To force people to submit to health-damaging and invasive nude scanning, or else to sexual probing, or to police querying and $11K in fines and being held hostage at the airport, not allowed to leave the airport without an escort….surely are all like having a gun held to one’s head, eh? No gun there of course, but the parallel still exists. I would equate this to almost being like subjected to a rape crime on the street. Almost. This has to be litigated and I hope to see those talking points traveling around everywhere. Please spread word. Thank you all!

    • concerned citizen says:

      PS regarding the damaging health effects: Congressman Rush Holt reported to Congress that docs had said the radiation exposure exceeds 20x the amount claimed industry-wide. Further, radiation to the skin concentrates the dosage, making it more cancer promoting. Eyes, thyroid, skin moles and testacles are all vulnerable, according to doctor’s reports I have read. Wearing jewelry concentrates the radiation dose even more. Consider too, that the xray scanners are not insulated and sealed off, as required by law where any radiation equipment is used. Those standing by passively are subjected too, willy nilly.
      This is a crime and we have got to sue. Class action lawsuits are reported by the media where smaller suits are ignored, advised a political strategist. Good idea. Of course, they cost less too than private lawsuits.

  9. Wimpie says:

    In the 21st century, if you want to terrorize a society, you just have to make improbable threats, press the anxiety buttons and watch them protect themselves to death and bankruptcy.

    Shoe bombers, liquid bombers, crotch bombers?

    Your adversary will spend billions to your hundreds – The best ROI ever!

    Do it several times and the billions will amount to more than the GNP of many countries – How’s that for effective?

    Coming soon: Rectal bombers – Oh FEAR FEAR FEAR!

    Why does our government buy into this, and trample on our constitution, when what they REALLY need is good old-fashion police work to find these bad actors before they get to the Plane or Bus or Subway or Public Building. The government can’t possibly protect all targets by screening people.

    Why the PARANOID security at the airports? It hasn’t worked in the past. Nobody has ever been caught before an event, and we’ve had a few slip by. What makes people think we will be able to catch serious bad actors now? Besides, chances are bad actors will just go somewhere else, equally dramatic.

    It’s impossible to discover a one in a several billion event by screening people!

    What’s it cost for all this nonsense in REAL TERMS?

    My guess (last 9 years)

    $50+ Billion for the 55,000 gov’t workers that keep unemployment under 15%

    $200 Billion or more in lost productivity for millions of Americans.

    Billions more loss for the airlines due to more people driving, using trains and buses to avoid airports due to time loss and submitting to irrational security procedures.

    Clearly, this has had some negative impact on our worsening economy.

    This is real money even by government standards, but it has all resulted in NOTHING! Nobody has ever been caught, while some got though!

    We could colonize Mars for this kind of money, but TSA would probably put some of the Astronauts on the NFL.

    TSA Needs a complete overhaul, starting with some real prevention/risk/cost analysis. Privatization of the work force would be even better, giving the public real redress capability.

    This might get us back our constitutional rights.

    Body scanners need to go. Put this picture up on a billboard!

    https://rupture.co.uk/Terminal%204.html

Recent Comments

  • Wimpie: In the 21st century, if you want to terrorize a society, you just have to make improbable threats, press the...
  • concerned citizen: PS regarding the damaging health effects: Congressman Rush Holt reported to Congress that docs had...
  • concerned citizen: CONGRATULATIONS AND KUDDOS!!! I think this will be very effective and you guys are doing such...

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