Oct 29, 2008 10:30 am US/Eastern
Abuse Ads Have Fathers In Texas Crying Foul
DALLAS (CBS) ―
Some controversial advertisements on local buses in Dallas are drawing strong criticism from men. A group of fathers is upset about the billboards aimed at preventing child abuse and want them pulled, reports CBS station KTVT-TV in Dallas.
They say they are angry and want the ads pulled. But officials with the Family Place, the non-profit organization that funded the ad campaign, say they're not backing down.
The ads don't address the adult victims of abuse, they are about the children. They are messages about murder, abuse and suicide.
One of the ads shows a boy and reads, "When I grow up I'm going to beat my wife." Another shows a teenage girl and states, "I will end my life before it even begins."
The concerned fathers who went to Tuesday night's DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) board meeting say men are being unfairly targeted.
"I'd hate to see that many children might fear their fathers simply because they see this type of ad," said Dave Piering.
The Family Place, a shelter for abused women, welcomes the controversy because it welcomes the discussion.
"It wouldn't be a topic if it hadn't been provocative," said Paige Flink, Executive Director of the Family Place.
One of the pictures in the ads shows a black child with the headline, "One day my husband will kill me."
"I'm thinking in 2008 in Dallas, Texas, you're running ads on the buses that a black man is going to kill his wife one day? What does that say to a young black man? I was shocked," said David Russell.
A spokesperson for DART said the staff decided to allow the ads, and right now there are no plans to change the ads or pull them from any of the buses.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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