LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Gas & Electric is responding to complaints about its new billboard in the city's west end.
The new billboard, sitting near 13th and Jefferson, surprised Aaron Eley so much, he circled the block to look again.
"I passed it and I see it and I'm like, did I really just see what I saw," said Eley. "It's a perpetuation of stereotypes. It's a slap in the face of the community, to place it right where they placed it."
The LG&E billboard warns that a rotten egg smell could signal a gas leak. But the eggs themselves are dressed with chains, backwards hats, beanies and sunglasses. It's placed in the heart of the city's Russell neighborhood, which is home to a majority of Black families in west Louisville.
"It's propaganda," said Eley. "The overtones in its images. That's how you demonize certain sections of society."
In a statement, LG&E said "We appreciate a community member raising questions about the billboard. It's part of our broader advertising campaign and video series across our LG&E service territory to reach customers with important gas safety information.
"The eggs are a visual representation of one sign of a gas leak, often referred to as the 'rotten egg' smell."
In the campaign, each video and billboard warns of a different sign or gas leak danger, tying it to a different music genre. A hissing sound, or snakes, signified 80s rock. Dying vegetation was made into a country song, and the rotten egg smell was meant to parody the hip-hop style of the Beastie Boys, LG&E said.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, gas leaks are on the rise. Firefighters respond to about 125,000 of them in the U.S. each year, and the leaks are blamed for 4,200 house fires.
While the display itself has become controversial, the need for public awareness is not.
Still, Eley maintains the billboards are in poor taste.
"That sign needs to be taken down," he said.
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