A politically charged banner was recently placed on the Belmont Center Commuter Bridge in violation of MBTA policies. The banner was subsequently removed by the MBTA after complaints were received.
The banner was sponsored by a handful of local organizations whose logos were visible on the banner; however, it is unclear who was personally responsible for placing the banner on MBTA property and why they thought they could place the banner on MBTA property without permission.
What is clear is that neither the Town of Belmont nor the MBTA approved of the banner. The MBTA does own and maintain the bridge crossing and has rules.
The MBTA’s process for pursuing ad placements can be found here: https://www.mbta.com/business/advertising/advertising-faqs.
The MBTA’s advertising guidelines can be found here: https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022-12-6-mbta-advertising-guidelines-accessible.pdf.
In 2015, MBTA overseers voted to ban all advertisements on the transit system that deal with political issues or “matters of public debate,” following a controversy over ads dealing with the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
The banner below implies Belmont endorses the controversial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion movement which has already raised concern a few times in the Belmont School system. In 2023, the US Supreme Court put DEI advocates on notice following a strong rejection of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s Affirmative Action admissions policy which they found violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment.
The banner also “Welcomes Immigrants” which by definition, includes those not legally in the Country, at a time when Los Angeles is facing an insurrection over the deportation of illegal immigrants.
The good news is the MBTA responded appropriately when contacted.
