Though the MTA rejected the Working Families Party's request to post their "Service Nightmare" parody ads in the subways, the group has been working hard to get the posters up anyway. They sent a message to their supporters online, saying they will ask the MTA to reverse the decision on free speech grounds and asking followers to sign a petition to back them up. They're also asking supporters on Facebook to post the ad themselves. WFP spokesman Dan Levitan wrote, "what New Yorkers (and the WFP) really want is for the Mayor to step up to the plate and deliver for the millions of transit riders and students who are facing the biggest service cuts in a generation," and he tells us that over 2,300 people have signed the petition in less than 24 hours.
However, according to the Daily News, transit officials say the decision is final. The MTA rejected the ads on grounds that they were offensive and could be mistaken for actual service posters. They are formatted the same way as the official posters, and include phrases like "OMFG: Service slashed" and "Service Nightmare: All day, every day." And now, more people are getting on the parody bandwagon! NewMTA.info has created signs of their own, with slogans like "GREED: Effective Immediately," and are calling on volunteers to help post them in the subways, saying,"We are making service cuts because we can screw you over and keep you thinking there’s nothing you can do about it." Volunteers can download the posters, in both English and Spanish, on their website.
In related news, these posters may be more realistic than one would think. One commenter pointed out yesterday that with the new service changes, riders will soon be able to transfer to the FML lines from the 123 at 14th St. STFU!
