Verizon protest of video that teaches little girls to hate their fathers and portrays only males as perpetrators of domestic violence.

On Saturday, 12/10/11, the Los Angeles chapter of the National Coalition For Men (NCFM) held a street demonstration outside Verizon to protest Verizon’s anti-father advertisements that depict fathers as “Monsters.”

Approximately 15 people participated in the rally, including members of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), a faith-based organization founded by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson that has a home for troubled young men. The rally was at the corner of 26^th Street and Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.

“Verizon finally pulled the ad, but the company has a history of  anti-father ads, and we had to protest years ago for the same thing,” said Marc Angelucci, NCFM’s Vice President.  “Also, a lot of Verizon‘s false, stereotyping information on domestic violence is still on their website .”

In addition to displaying a number of large signs saying things such as:  “Verizon, Stop the Anti-Father Ads!,” “Honk For Dads Rights,” and “Stop Abuse For Everyone,” NCFM members spoke from a bullhorn and handed out flyers from the organization Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) , which is organizing a national protest against the ads.

The flyers said that the commercial is “shameful,” “smears adult men” and “teaches little girls to fear their fathers as dangerous and abusive ‘monsters.’”

The peaceful protest lasted for several hours on one of the busiest thoroughfares in L.A. County, and the frequent honking of horns by drivers, including a number of buses and trucks, accompanied by thumbs up added to the message being sent by the protesters.  Numerous people inquired, took flyers, and offered support.

Before the rally, Angelucci spoke with the manager, gave him a flyer, and said this is a peaceful rally and to let him know if there are any problems.  Throughout the rally, Verizon security and staff watched through the window at the front door.   At one point a Verizon employee in a white shirt and slacks asked a couple of the demonstrators what the protest was about.  He took a flyer and listened very briefly to an explanation, then hastily walked away.

One of the most memorable parts of the afternoon came when several protestors (holding “Honk 4 Dad’s Rights” signs) looked toward a honking car horn in the street; then noticed the driver who honked was behind the wheel of a van with “Verizon” painted on the side.

NCFM NOTE: Verizon may very well still be working with the federally funded National Domestic Violence Hotline to surreptitiously distribute the “Monster” video through means other than the Internet. It is disconcerting to see such organizations perpetuate hate under the poor disguise of ending domestic violence.