VERIZON UNDER FIRE BECAUSE OF ‘TECHNIGGA’ BLOG: Najee Ali, Paul Porter and other activists plan to speak out this morning.(July 7, 2008)Email to a friend | Print Friendly *When you’re a white guy and you do a video blog called “TechNigga,” you’re just begging for attention (and asking for trouble), to put it mildly. Like the saying goes, be careful what you ask for ’cause you just might get it. Well that’s the case with one Loren Feldman of 1938 Media. So it comes as no surprise that Feldman has got the rapt attention of activists Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope and Paul Porter of Industry Ears as well as several civil rights organizations. The coalition is calling for Lowell C. McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, to withdraw a distribution deal he recently signed with Feldman’s company. In a press release and statement to EUR, Najee Ali breaks it down. “Feldman has a history of using the internet to promote racism and demeaning and negative racial stereotypes against African Americans on his internet site. He is responsible for and appears in what he calls ‘TechNigga.’” (Scroll down to see the video.) So Ali, Porter and other activists’ goal is to pressure McAdam and Verizon into dropping Feldman like a hot skillet handle. They plan to hold a press conference and protest this morning at 11am (Pacific) in Los Angeles at the Verizon store at 3829 S. Crenshaw Blvd. to start the process. Of course free speech proponents will argue that what Feldman is doing is a just a parody. However, Ali doesn’t think it’s funny and tells Verizon in no uncertain terms that getting in bed with Feldman is not a good idea. “Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam needs to demonstrate that Verizon understands they should demonstrate corporate responsibility and will not tolerate racism, or bigotry. The Verizon distribution deal with Feldman sends a horrible message that Verizon seeks to partner with racists like Feldman and that Verizon and CEO McAdam find nothing offensive with ‘TechNigga.’ Our community nationwide should. Contact Lowell C. McAdam and let him know that you will boycott Verizon unless this distribution with Feldman is severed. There are plans for an upcoming national day of protest against Verizon stores nationwide if our calls for a meeting and our demands are not met.”
[...] How social media shock jock Loren Feldman got publicly bounced by VerizonWireless for being a less than stellar citizen with his prior "Technigga" series [...]