Philadelphia Has No Love for 50 Cent

Movie billboards advertising 50 Cent's new semiautobiographical film, Get Rich Or Die Tryin,' are quickly being removed in Philadelphia. According to the Associated Press, 21 billboards featuring 50 holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other have already been ordered down in response to protests from various community groups. "The message could be 'rob to get rich,'" said Bilal Qayyum, who heads up an anti-violence group Men United for a Better Philadelphia. "It's a very offensive message that is part of a mind-set that says you can solve problems with violence." According to Qayyum, Clear Channel Outdoor, the company responsible for putting up and taking down billboards, have been totally cooperative in honoring these requests. "They showed corporate responsibility," the activist said. In late October, Paramount Pictures agreed to remove some of these same movie billboards after fielding numerous complaints and protests from community activists in a South Los Angeles neighborhood. In this particular case, billboards had been placed in front of area schools where gang and gun violence are prevalent.