UPDATE: 11/18/2016 1:58pm Mayor Brad Rogers confirms to WJTV that he has been in talks with Lamar Advertising about the billboard. He hopes to have it taken down by Monday or Tuesday of next week at the latest.Original Story:
PEARL, Miss. (WJTV) — A controversial billboard Highway 80 in Pearl is getting a lot of attention.
The billboard appears to depict a moment from the civil rights era and has the words “Make America Great Again” on it.
It’s placed on a Lamar Advertising billboard. The display says that the signage was paid for by For Freedoms. It also says the billboard was not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
The original photo dates back to 1965, to a day known as “Bloody Sunday,” according to PRNewswire. Police and protesters faced off over voting rights in Selma, Alabama.
According to For Freedoms’ website, they use art to inspire deeper political engagement for citizens who want to have a greater impact on the American political landscape.
WJTV reached out to Lamar Advertising about the billboard. A spokesperson told us that since everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, they saw no issue with putting it up. They had nothing to do with the creation of the billboard.
WJTV also reached out to For Freedoms to see if they wanted to comment about the billboard. We will update this story if they get back to us.Read more about For Freedoms here.
