NAACP Protests Obama Joker Banner at Strip Club

Banner is on side of strip club

By JIM IOVINO

Updated 6:10 AM EST, Tue, Sep 29, 2009

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While the NAACP and other groups protested a banner depicting President Barack Obama as the Joker from Batman on the side of a Richmond, Va., strip club on Monday, a dancer from the club walked through the crowd with a sign that read "Strippers for Obama" as a drummer kept a steady beat.

The banner hangs outside Club Velvet, and the club's owner, Sam Moore, said in a statement that the display is not intended to make a racial statement, but rather to express his displeasure with the Obama administration, according to WTVR-TV.

"This country is going to hell in a hand bag and the current administration is making things irreversibly worse," Moore said.

Some locals said they were offended by the banner, while others said it is a sign of freedom of speech.

Representatives from the NAACP, the Nation of Islam and other groups gathered outside Club Velvet at noon Monday to protest what they called an affront against the nation's first black president and "veiled attacks on all African people."

Copyright Associated Press / NBC Washington

First Published: Sep 28, 2009 8:36 AM EST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":19,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"331759_62323292","adminTags":null,"views":2122,"createdBy":12478239,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"NAACP Plans Obama Joker Protest at Strip Club","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2245496,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Sep 2009 14:00:50 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"FedUpChris","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"969738","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"This is NOT a racist display. This is a characature about the fact that he is a "joker" and that people don't believe the things that he is saying. STOP making everything about RACE... you are losing credibility by crying wolf everytime you don't get your way. Come up with a new tactic besides applying to peoples guilt and fear."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"331759_62323292","adminTags":null,"views":2122,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"NAACP Plans Obama Joker Protest at Strip Club","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2245496,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Sep 2009 14:31:10 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"969933","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I agree with FED... If you actually think about it, instead of automatically pulling the race card, this is no different than any other political cartoon. Just some more top-notch reporting by NBC4..."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"331759_62323292","adminTags":null,"views":2122,"createdBy":9382061,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"NAACP Plans Obama Joker Protest at Strip Club","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2245496,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Sep 2009 14:38:27 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Don1","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"969975","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Tell ya what, I could almost go along and agree that this is not racist in nature, but when you add all the confederate flags flying in Va and all the confederate stickers in vehicles... you really make an objective American wonder! There is too much hate in the nation when we all need to stick together!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"331759_62323292","adminTags":null,"views":2122,"createdBy":9763253,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"NAACP Plans Obama Joker Protest at Strip Club","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2245496,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Sep 2009 16:39:08 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Mari72","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"970825","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Good for him."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"331759_62323292","adminTags":null,"views":2122,"createdBy":12865502,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"NAACP Plans Obama Joker Protest at Strip Club","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2245496,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Sep 2009 17:31:27 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"joeysndc","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"971271","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I would like to be able to use the race card:however this is just another abhorred and disrespectful cartoon"}],"error":"","totPages":4}