Several Los Angeles area groups are set to protest the national opening of Get Rich or Die Trying.
According to reports, the National Action Network, Project Islamic Hope and others will host a press conference today at 5 p.m. PST in front of the Magic Johnson Theater near the intersection of Crenshaw and King.
Protesters cite the ”glorification of gun violence in the movie” as the reason for the conference. In addition, they are calling on Paramount, the company behind the movie and theater owners to allow the groups to ”promote their anti-violence and anti-gun message” at all theaters running the movie.
Get Rich or Die Trying has been the cause of much controversy in the weeks leading up to its opening. Billboards depicting 50 Cent holding a fire arm were the subject of protests in several cities, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
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Late last month, Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope led a protest targeting the bill boards and denouncing the violent messages they promoted to the community.
“Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for young black males in South Central Los Angeles and across urban America,”Ali said in a press release. “It’s irresponsible for Paramount Pictures to promote and market a movie that glorifies carrying guns. Guns are weapons of mass destruction that are used to kill people. We demand that Paramount Pictures remove these negative images of death and destruction, images that our young children are influenced by.”
In the days following, Paramount removed the billboards and Ali compared the victory to the Biblical battle of David and Goliath.
Source: eurweb.com
