SEATTLE DOES WHAT CHICAGO REFUSED TO DO!

(Advertisement that was going on buses in Seattle)

In October of this year, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) allowed anti-Israel ads to be posted on the sides of buses. I wrote about how upsetting and offensive they were, not only to Jews, but to anybody.

 A few weeks later I met with CTA President Richard Rodriguez and discussed the problem and he said the CTA could not ban the ads. He issued a statement for me to post:


“I understand that there are some people who will find the ads—and other ads for that matter—offensive.


As the president of the CTA, however, I can’t judge such things according to my own personal views. The CTA is a public entity and publicly funded. It is governed by laws that protect people’s rights including the right to free speech. We’re not always in agreement with what advertisers say or promote, but in accordance with the Constitution, the advertisers have the right to say them.


In this case, there was no legal basis for the CTA to reject the ads, even though they espouse a political message that is objectionable to you and others. In the recent past the CTA rejected some potentially controversial ads on another subject and was sued. We lost that case and had to allow the ads to run.


The CTA has established guidelines for advertising on its properties. For example, ads cannot be legally obscene or portray graphic violence. They cannot be directed at inciting imminent lawless action. For testimonial type ads such as these, the CTA can require – and did require – that ads disclose the name of the organization purchasing the ads. As long as advertisements conform to the guidelines, the CTA cannot deny an advertiser’s right to run an ad.”


My friend, Cheryl Jacobs Lewin, Chicago co-chair for AFSI (Americans for a Safe Israel), who originally alerted me about the CTA ads, shared with me how Seattle handled the same problem last week with different results.


The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign purchased ads to be displayed on 12 buses beginning December 27 that feature the slogan, "Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work." As soon as people learned that there were to be anti-Israel ads on King County Metro Transit buses, they took the same action we did in Chicago, protesting to officials, but this time they were listened to. Seattle quickly changed the bus system’s advertising policy in a matter of days.


The press release King County issued said:


“Citing the potential for disruption to transit service, King County Executive Dow Constantine today approved an interim policy from Metro Transit that calls for a halt to the acceptance of any new non-commercial advertising on King County buses. Under provisions of the previous policy, Metro officials today also rejected a proposed ad from the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and the proposed response ads from two other groups.


‘The escalation of this issue from one of 12 local bus placards to a widespread and often vitriolic international debate introduces new and significant security concerns that compel reassessment,’ said Executive Constantine.



‘My job is to deliver essential services to the people of King County, including transit service,” he added. ‘I have consulted with federal and local law enforcement authorities who have expressed concern, in the context of this international debate, that our public transportation system could be vulnerable to disruption.



‘Metro sells advertising to raise revenues to provide transit service. Metro’s existing policy restricts advertising that can be reasonably foreseen to result in harm to, disruption of, or interference with the transportation system. Given the dramatic escalation of debate in the past few days over these proposed ads, and the submission of inflammatory response ads, there is now an unacceptable risk of harm to or disruption of service to our customers should these ads run.”


Metro expects to complete work on a permanent transit advertising policy by the end of January, for the Executive Committee to transmit to the County Council for adoption.


So instead of standing behind existing policy, Seattle changed the policy. I wonder why we never thought of that in Chicago? I will make sure the CTA knows.