Canadian lawmaker Brad Wall decided to announce a fundraising pig roast with a colorful image of... the World Trade Center in flames. Never forget: the BBQ? (Coming up on April 10th!)
According to the Vancouver Sun, New York City Fire Chief Richard Picciotto, who was in the north tower on 9/11, is scheduled to appear as the featured speaker at the event. What makes Wall's campaign even more tone deaf is that he added the words "pig roast" over the image of the burning towers where Picciotto lost many of his FDNY and NYPD colleagues. Naturally, as with all ads that have used 9/11 imagery in the past, this one is now under public scrutiny and Wall is being lambasted for it.
While Wall apologizes and says he doesn't "think there was anything intended," fellow lawmaker Sandra Morin condemned the flyer. She said "There's colloquialisms that are used to describe police officers. Unfortunately the bad taste of using the superimposition of the words 'pig roast' on the burning flames of the building is... certainly something that I would not have allowed to proceed if it was my fundraiser." She added that Wall showed a lack or respect and lack of judgment by letting the flyer be approved.
Stateside, FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer commented on the flyer, saying: "The FDNY hopes that no one ever forgets what happened on September 11th. However, we do think that the use of images of the attacks for political or monetary gain, like the image on this poster, is in bad taste."
