Salvation Army Tulsa apologizes for tweet about #towerguy
Slammed for self-promotion, organization says it didn’t mean to offend. Did it go too far by tying donations to the story of a man perched above Tulsa?
Bing’s promise to donate to Japan’s earthquake victims in exchange for retweets and Kenneth Cole’s shameless clothing line plug in the midst of the Egypt crisis are two recent examples.
Fast forward to Tuesday, Aug. 16, in Tulsa, Okla., where 25-year-old William Sturdivant was spending his sixth straight day perched hundreds of feet off the ground, dangling from a Clear Channel communications tower. Having refused food and water throughout most of the ordeal, Sturdivant captured America’s attention, as people from all over the nation found themselves glued to a live stream of the scene and followed the #towerguy and #towerman hashtags on Twitter.
At 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday, the sixth and final day of the crisis (Sturdivant has since descended in a rescue bucket), Salvation Army Tulsa tweeted, “Without us, homeless people w/mental issues could b the next #towerguy. Text TULSA to 85944 to help w/a $10 donation.”
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