A digital billboard showing love to Bill Cosby now stands a short distance away from the Norristown, Pa., courthouse where the imprisoned comedian was convicted of aggravated indecent assault two years ago.
The massive sign that hovers above F H Gold Buyers at 244 W. Main Street reads “We Love Cosby” with the word love substituted with a glowing red heart.
A group called “We Believe Bill Cosby!” paid $3,150 for the billboard, raising the money through a GoFundMe campaign with 56 donors and hundreds of supporters.
“Basically, a group of Cosby supporters wanted to show Mr. Cosby support on a grand level,” said Nicole Lewis, who organized the fundraiser, adding that the location was chosen because it represents where “Mr. Cosby was maliciously prosecuted.”
Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in a 2018 trial that many legal experts consider unfair. He is currently serving a three-to-10-year prison sentence.
However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that it would hear Cosby’s appeal.
The comedian’s supporters said they originally wanted the billboard to read, “Bill Cosby is Innocent,” but Lamar Advertising, which leases the billboards, denied the request.
“Lamar did not want to touch the Cosby case and they wanted to remain impartial until the appeal hearing,” Lewis wrote in an email to NNPA Newswire.
A spokesman for Lamar declined further comment.
Lewis said fellow Cosby supporter Sasha Hampton, who lives in New York, helped design the billboard.
“Lamar was very hesitant to have a pro-Cosby message advertised. However, after reading over their rules, simply using Cosby’s last name was perfectly legal since there are thousands of people named Cosby in America,” Lewis offered.
“So, we kept our message simple and to the point, ‘We Love Cosby,” she said, explaining the bottom portion of the message states it’s paid for by WBBCO, which stands for “We Believe Bill Cosby.”
The organization has received feedback from both Bill and Camille Cosby, Lewis said.
“We heard that Mr. and Mrs. Cosby were very happy and thankful for our billboard,” she said. “Our overall hope is that Mr. Cosby’s conviction can be overturned in the very near future because he has no business being locked up over corrupt political officials.
“Even though we couldn’t put what we wanted, we feel that our message of support is still just as powerful, especially since the billboard is literally nine minutes away from the Montgomery County courthouse in Norristown,” Lewis said.
The billboard will be on display until Sept. 29.
While I fully support free speech, I am disappointed in the Lamar Advertising Company for making the choice to erect this message. “Lamar was very hesitant to have a pro-Cosby message advertised. However, after reading over their rules, simply using Cosby’s last name was perfectly legal since there are thousands of people named Cosby in America”. While it is “perfectly legal”, Lamar could have chosen to decline this business. Bill Cosby is indeed awaiting an appeals process, but currently he is a convicted sex offender and has admitted to perpetrating sexual assault on women in legal depositions prior to his trials. This is not only tasteless and crass, but insensitive and hurtful – not only to Cosby’s victims, but to all survivors of sexual assault. Sexual assault is non-consensual sex, and CONSENT is freely given, knowledgeable and informed agreement: #FGKIA. People of reason and good will know full well that Cosby is a serial predator who routinely stole the rights of dozens of women’s bodily autonomy and their capacity to CONSENT. Shameful move, Lamar.
Lamar is way off-base in their justification. If this were simply about “any Cosby” the ad would be useless. It’s obviously, specifically directed to Bill Cosby. And the fact that it states clearly that it’s paid for by the “We Believe Bill Cosby” organization is absolute, proof positive who the billboard refers to.
Cosby was accused and convicted in a court of law. While he is entitled to an appeal under PA statutes, he has not been exonerated. It is horrific for Lamar to profit by supporting a felon convicted of sexual assault. Businesses all around Pennsylvania should stop supporting Lamar. And the general public should boycott all businesses advertising on Lamar billboards unless and until the Cosby billboard comes down.
The public can write to Lamar to demand they remove the ad at http://www.lamar.com/About/Support/ContactUs. And they can tell all Lamar advertisers that they will boycott them until Lamar removes the ad.
Let’s call Bill Cosby what he is, a convicted sexually violent predator. Shame on Lamar. Copying and pasting from the reply above to increase the odds folks will take action. Rise up and wallets down.
It is horrific for Lamar to profit by supporting a felon convicted of sexual assault. Businesses all around Pennsylvania should stop supporting Lamar. And the general public should boycott all businesses advertising on Lamar billboards unless and until the Cosby billboard comes down.
The public can write to Lamar to demand they remove the ad at http://www.lamar.com/About/Support/ContactUs. And they can tell all Lamar advertisers that they will boycott them until Lamar removes the ad.
Yes Bill is just as bad as The man in the whitehouse Grabbing woman by the you know what, having 4 women waiting for their day in court.