SYRACUSE (ABC4 Utah) – A “Pass it On” billboard, near Syracuse, featuring an image of a police officer was vandalized with an anti-slavery message.
In its original form, the billboard showed a picture of a police officer with the message, “Answering the toughest call….Bravery.” It included the URL for passiton.com.
A new message pasted on to the sign said “The New Jim Crow” with a modification of the sign’s original wording “Slavery. DontPassItOn.com.” The URL does not appear to point to any organization related the message.
Jim Crow laws were passed in the United States after President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery. The laws were used for more than 100 years to aid in marginalizing and segregate black populations. Initially, ex-confederate soldiers became the judges and administrators to enforce these abhorrent laws. People were incarcerated or even killed for violating the statutes.
The billboard is a part of a 20-year-old national public service campaign from the non-profit organization The Foundation for a Better Life. It was founded in 2000 to remind people of core values.
Celebrities and notable people who have been featured in the “Pass it On” campaign include Wane Gretzky, Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela, Michael J, Fox and Muhammad Ali. The billboard was provided by the Outdoor Advertisers of America Association (OAAA) and is done as a public service for passiton.com
Here in Utah the billboard is owned by Reagan Outdoor Advertising and a spokesperson for them said they sent a crew to repair the vandalized sign.
