Consequences be damned, “street preacher” Jason Blakeman took a very public stand Saturday against Harold Camping’s end of the world prediction.
So he climbed 30 feet to the base of a Camping “end of the world” billboard on Route 34 with a message of his own: “I SURVIVED.”
He climbed the billboard at 7:30 p.m., 90 minutes after the world was supposed to have ended.
A friend snapped a photo, which quickly spread through Facebook and Twitter — and landed the 34-year-old Ansonia resident in trouble when Lamar Advertising, the company that owns the billboard and leased it to Camping’s group, found out about the stunt.
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Steve Hebert, Lamar’s vice-president, sent a strongly-worded e‑mail to Blakeman Monday morning saying what Blakeman did was not only dangerous — it was criminal.
“You may have survived Judgment Day, however you risked your life by climbing the structure, not to mention it is against OSHA and Lamar’s safety policy to be up there without a safety harness,” Hebert’s e‑mail read.
“Additionally you were trespassing without our permission. You have left us no recourse but to pursue our options.”
Luckily, Blakeman and Hebert were able to touch base over the phone Monday morning.
Hebert said his e‑mail was intended to get Blakeman to contact the company — immediately.
Hebert wanted to stress the dangers involved with climbing a billboard — and he worried the photo might inspire copycats, such as teens.
Hebert said the company does not plan to file criminal charges against Blakeman. He even indicated that if Blakeman had called the company, they might have arranged his photo op with the proper safety precautions.
Blakeman’s motivation for the “I survived” sign goes deeper than to score a laugh.
He’s a self-described street preacher who said he specializes in helping outcasts — strippers, prostitutes, gang bangers and others who may feel like they’ve fallen too far from the grace of a traditional church.
The Valley Indy dropped into the Route 34 Starbucks Monday where Blakeman was leading a small Bible study group.
Blakeman said Harold Camping’s end of the world prediction spread fear throughout the country — and for no reason.
“I do a lot of counseling … and I couldn’t tell you the amount of teenage kids that have just been scared like crazy about this,” Blakeman said “It’s really disturbing.”
KTLA, a television station in California, reported that a woman who expected the world to end tried to kill herself and her two children Friday. That’s the type of thing Blakeman’s “I survived” sign was meant to combat, he said.
No one knows when the world will end, Blakeman said, quoting a Bible verse: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
“If Jesus couldn’t know, how could Harold Camping know?” he asked.
He felt it was necessary to publicly chastise Camping’s church for their end of the world stunt.
Blakeman said he was prepared to face criminal charges, if it came to that.
Once he chatted with the billboard company’s representative, he realized what he did wasn’t smart, despite his noble intention.
“He was concerned about kids trying to climb the sign and do graffiti,” Blakeman said. “I don’t recommend anyone else get up on a sign. It’s a dangerous thing.”