Atheist billboard taken down in Mobile, group says they're owed 2 more weeks

This billboard is one of several unveiled by the Gulf Coast Coalition of Reason and funded by the (Courtesy Greater Mobile Atheists)

Four billboards were erected in three southern states in early Jan. in an effort to unite people who do not believe in God.

"Don't believe in a God? You're not alone," the billboards read. It advertised a website, gulfcoastcor.org, with information for people who do not believe in God.

One of those billboards was located in Mobile on the west side of Interstate 10 near Theodore Dawes Road, but was taken down a little over a week ago.

The initial billboard contract was set to begin the week of Christmas but a snag led to a delay, according to Troy Tatum, vice-president of Lamar Advertising in Mobile.

Tatum said the company asked for a disclaimer be added to the billboard saying who paid for it.

Jason Heap of the United Coalition of Reason said it was the first time he had ever been asked to provide a disclaimer but that the group obliged.

The billboard was then put up during the first week of Jan., but the contract clock had still apparently been ticking.

On Jan. 18, the Coalition of Reason was notified that the billboard had been taken down.

Heap said that he was told that Lamar had received a large amount of complaints about the billboard and that he questioned the motivation to take the billboard down.

"By contractual obligations, they are required to give us a full four weeks," said Heap.

Tatum said that Lamar has a plan on the table to make good with the Coalition of Reason but that the advertising company hasn't heard from the group.

"They just want to start a fight," Tatum said.

The group has experienced issues with their billboards in the past.

In 2009, Lamar Advertising relocated a Coalition of Reason billboard in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the same wording as Mobile's.

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