The Public Perspective
Why so many people are outraged over Benetton's ad campaign?
After reviewing various public comments and perspectives on the Benetton ad campaign, it is apparent that most people feel that the victims of the crimes committed by the prisoners profiled in the Benetton advertisement have been forgotten and that the criminals have been glamorized. Many victims rights groups have taken strong stands against Benetton and are encouraging consumers not to shop at stores who sell Benetton products. The following statements are a few examples of what some people opposing the Benetton ad campaign are saying:
* Jefferson City, Mo Attorney General Jay Nixon stated, "It's not right to profit off the backs of the victims in the effort to sell sweaters." (www.pomc.com/minealert1.cfm)
* Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) Executive Director Nancy Ruhe-Munch said, "It seems in our culture that the victims are quickly forgotten and that the attention is focused on the killer as opposed to his killings." (www.pomc.com/minealert1.cfm)
* President of Crime Victims United, Harriet Salarno said, "Benetton's ad campaign glorifying death row inmates is one of the sickest and most cynical marketing ploys I've ever seen." (http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/67/PressRelease2607.html)
* Assembly Republican Leader Scott Baugh stated, "It's a pathetic glamorization of heinous criminals." (http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/67/PressRelease2607.html)
* Chairman and CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Co. said, "The hurtful nature of the Benetton ad campaign profiling death row inmates deeply impacted our customers and associates." (http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/67/PressRelease2607.html)
* Sears Spokesperson Tom Nicholson stated, "We have been hearing from people who have lost loved ones to some of the folks who have been profiled." "It's reopening wounds and brought back a lot of painful memories and people are hurt by it. They feel the inmates are glorified and the victims are ignored." (www.pomc.com/minealert1.cfm)
* John Walsh stated that he "can't understand how this Italian clothing manufacturer can give these murderers their fifteen minutes of fame. What kind of message does this send? Kill or rape someone and become a fashion model? Think about the next time you go in a store and see Benetton clothing." (www.pomc.com/minealert1.cfm)
* Cindy Finley, a parent of a murdered child said, "I've been having nightmares. I've been having trouble sleeping," she said. "Benetton, they like shock, we all knew that. But they crossed the line. These are real people who were murdered." (www.apbnews.com)
* Benetton is using the blood of murder victims to promote their commodity," said Dianne Clements, the president of Justice for All, a pro-death penalty group based in Houston. (www.jfa.net)
* Genelle Reilley of Laguna Beach, Calif., whose daughter was murdered 15 years ago said, "Everyone should be outraged that they're trying to bring sympathy to people on death row. I just don't know how anyone could try and humanize these monsters. No one ever tries to humanize the victims. No one even remembers the victims." (www.apbnews.com)
* Executive Director of You Have the Power, Verna Wyatt said, "Every one of the Benetton faces that is displayed on the billboards or in the magazines is a face behind a brutal, senseless murder. That face is also responsible for devastating the lives of remaining family members who must live daily with their tremendous loss as well as the constant memory of the heartless, inhumane, acts of the person featured in the ads.
For more on You Have the Power, go to http://nashville.citysearch.com
* Stardust K Johnson, Board of Directors of Homicide Survivors, Inc., of Tucson, Arizona said, " We oppose the Benetton ads featuring death row inmates and find them morally offensive. Further, we find them reprehensible and incredibly insensitive to the victims of homicide and to their survivors. We believe that they communicate a message of utter disregard for the sanctity and value of human life, particularly the lives of the innocent victims whose lives have been brutally ended by a violent act, and they make light of the act of murder--the ultimate act of evil one person can commit against another.
You can contact Homicide Survivors at survivor@pcao.co.pima.az.us