A couple citizens thought it important to share the following with members of city council as a matter of public record. Mayor Gilberto Kassab decided to start ridding his city, Sao Paulo of pollution by outlawing billboards. According to Worldwatch Institute, the move will make major headway in combating global warming, as, “consumerism and the rampant advertising that drives it,” are largely to blame for climate change.

The article tells how tearing down the billboards made visible the slums that were hiding behind them. When signs were torn off shops, people could see the poorly-treated immigrant laborers that worked and camped in some of the sweatshops. The report also contains comments from Beijing’s mayor, Wang Qishan. His city recently dispatched cranes to either dismantle or tack tin sheets over billboards that were disrupting the city’s sense of harmony by advertising luxuries low-income people could not afford.

Despite a universe of evidence to the contrary, the people who sent the email are joined by numerous Ashevillians who advocate for the steel fist of government to destroy capitalist inclinations and enforce equality.

     Â