A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from October 21, 2004
“If you see something, say something” (safety slogan)
"If you see something, say something" was the Metropolitan Transit Authority's 2003 response to terrorism. The trademarked slogan (used on buses and trains) was created by Allen Kay, chairman of Korey Kay & Partners ad agency.

The slogan had a mixed critical reception. The Village Voice voted this slogan "Best ridiculous use of MTA marketing dollars" in its "Best of NY 2004" issue.

The "If you see something, say something" slogan had used before. It was printed in The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) on May 6, 1988, when it was used by the FBI, which asked citizens to help in the fight against drugs.

"If you see something, steal something" became a popular turn on the slogan in 2016.


Metropolitan Transit Authority
If You See Something, Say Something
Call 1-888-NYC SAFE
The vigilance of all New Yorkers has kept MTA buses, subways, and railroads safe.

The MTA thanks our passengers and reminds them to:

. Be alert to unattended packages.
. Be wary of suspicious behavior.
. Take notice of people in bulky or inappropriate clothing.
. Report exposed wiring or other irregularities.
. Report anyone tampering with surveillance cameras or entering unauthorized areas.
. Learn the basics of safe train evacuation.

And remember, if you see something, say something. Alert a police officer, train or bus operator, station personnel or call 888-NYC-SAFE (888-692-7233).

Newspapers.com
6 May 1988, The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), "Citizens must join fight against drugs" (editorial), pg. B8, col. 1:
If you see something, say something.

That is the drug message from Richard Held, head of the San Francisco FBI office.

The North Bay drug problem is serious and getting worse, he says. The FBI doesn't begin to have the resources to fight it. Citizens must help.

28 January 2002, Adweek (New York, NY), "Speaking up" by Heidi Jacobs, pg. 5:
It's up to you to help thwart terrorist acts, charge new ads from Korey Kay & Partners, The work, created recently in response to Sept. 11, features the tagline, "If you see something, say something."

The five ads contain no graphics -- Just text. One execution bears the copy, "More catastrophic bombings and biological warfare are Imminent terrorist threats. Not just for the United States, but the entire world. Let's have no more surprises."

Another ad reads, "There are thousands of terrorists in this country. You can start to stop them. If you notice anything suspicious, report it. Immediately."

"We felt the public had to be sensitive to keeping their eyes open and getting their fingers working and their mouths moving," said chairman Allen Kay, of the New York agency's efforts to prevent terrorism.

New York (NY) Times
TUNNEL VISION; You Looking at Me? Yes, but It's Part of a Plan to Fight Terrorism
By Randy Kennedy
Published: March 25, 2003
(...)
As Allen Kay, the chairman of the agency, Korey Kay & Partners, described the process, it sounded like a gentle domestic form of wartime interrogation, in which two dozen riders were recruited at Grand Central Terminal and other stations. They were taken to an undisclosed ''research facility,'' he said, where they were exposed to different public service messages and then asked for their response.

''The way we saw the assignment was a kind of a loose-lips-sink-ships, circa 2003,'' Mr. Kay said. ''The irony was that in World War II, the message was to keep your mouth shut. And now the message is, in the trains, don't.''
(...)
The winner -- which coincidentally began appearing on posters in thousands of subway cars, buses and commuter trains just a week before the war in Iraq started -- was actually the simplest and most abstract: ''If You See Something, Say Something,'' with a police phone number beneath (either 1-888-NYC-SAFE or 1-866-MTA-TIPS).

Newspapers.com
New York (NY) Daily News
SECURITY BLANKETS EDGY CITY
By PETE DONOHUE, ELIZABETH HAYS and BRIAN HARMON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS With Melissa Grace
Wednesday, March 26th 2003, 7:47AM
In the air, on the street and below ground, the signs of war and a heightened fear of terrorism are unavoidable in New York.
(...)
For instance, subway riders, already accustomed to seeing more cops and National Guard personnel, are being put on special alert. Signs headlined, "If you see something, say something" ask straphangers to report any suspicious activity.

New York (NY) Times
A Phrase for Safety After 9/11 Goes Global
By MANNY FERNANDEZ
Published: May 10, 2010
The Times Square street vendors who alerted the police to a smoking Nissan Pathfinder on May 1 seemed to be acting on a combination of their streetwise instincts, their sense of civic duty, their military training and the advice of Allen Kay.
(...)
Of course, the vendors who noticed the smoking Pathfinder had a different one in mind: “If You See Something, Say Something.”

The phrase was coined by Mr. Kay for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one of his company’s clients. The day after Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Kay sat in his office on Fifth Avenue and wrote the slogan on one of the 3-by-5-inch index cards he carries around to jot down ideas. The company had already done advertising work for the authority, but Mr. Kay created “If You See Something, Say Something” before transit officials even asked. He said he wanted to help prevent another disaster and to do something positive in the aftermath of the attacks.

(Trademark)
Word Mark IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Goods and Services IC 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: Promoting public awareness of public safety and security issues. FIRST USE: 20030300. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20030300
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 78696607
Filing Date August 19, 2005
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition December 26, 2006
Registration Number 3217091
Registration Date March 13, 2007
Owner (REGISTRANT) Metropolitan Transportation Authority CORPORATION NEW YORK Legal Department 347 Madison Avenue New York NEW YORK 10017
Attorney of Record Lester G. Freundlich
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityTransportation • Thursday, October 21, 2004 • Permalink


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