Fake Philadelphia Eagles political ads removed from SEPTA bus shelters
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A series of phony political advertisement posters featuring the Philadelphia Eagles endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president have been removed from several SEPTA bus shelters in Center City.
The posters, which appeared on Monday, sparked a debate among people on social media before being taken down by Intersection, the company responsible for the signage at the bus stops.
Intersection confirmed that seven unauthorized advertisements were removed from bus shelters across the city by Tuesday afternoon.
"We are aware that several of our bus shelters located in Philadelphia have been vandalized, and the paid advertising copy in each of those shelters has been replaced with unauthorized copy," Intersection wrote in a statement. "While our bus shelters have locks that typically prevent unauthorized installation by non-Intersection staff, occasionally, people find a way to unlock the ad box and insert unauthorized content. In this case, the unauthorized copy implies an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris by the Philadelphia Eagles. We note that neither the Eagles nor Intersection had anything to do with the creation or posting of this unauthorized content.
"We consider this act not only vandalism but also theft, as the perpetrators stole both the existing advertising copy and the paid advertising space. The revenue generated from these ads is vital, as a portion goes to the City and helps maintain the bus shelters, which are valuable amenities for the citizens of Philadelphia. When ads are illegally removed or replaced, it undermines our ability to generate revenue and support the overall bus shelter program.
"We have already removed seven of the unauthorized ads and are conducting a survey to ensure no other shelters have been vandalized. At this time, we do not know who is responsible for putting them up. We are currently determining our next steps, which may include filing a police report, and we will cooperate with law enforcement as necessary."
CBS New Philadelphia cameras captured the removal process, as an Intersection employee was seen replacing the counterfeit Eagles-Harris poster with the original advertising. While the city has labeled the incident as vandalism, the response from the public has been mixed.
"Art is meant to bring people together, and I don't think this is what it's doing," said Abir Hossain, who is a student at Penn.
Local street art advocate Conrad Benner, who runs the blog "Streets Department," views the incident differently, calling it an "ad takeover," a form of street art where existing advertisements are replaced with art.
"Good art gets people talking, and people are talking," Benner said.
Benner explained that these takeovers typically involve using a skeleton key to open bus shelter display cases and replacing the ad with art or other content, often lasting only a day or two before being removed by companies like Intersection or the City of Philadelphia.
The Eagles, whose branding was used without permission, have not issued any further statements beyond calling the posters counterfeit earlier Monday. The city has yet to announce whether they are investigating the situation and the person or people responsible.