Chapel Hill residents invited to forum on bus ad policy

The town of Chapel Hill is inviting residents to a public forum to discuss its bus advertising policy following controversy over a recent ad.

The forum will be held during Chapel Hill Town Council's regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11. The meeting will take place in the council chamber of Town Hall at 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Officials said they decided to hold the forum after they received numerous emails about an advertisement that called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. The ad was posted inside some buses in August and contained the text, "Join with us. Build peace with justice and equality. End U.S. military aid to Israel."

Town officials pulled the ad because it did not include contact information for the ad's sponsor, the Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill. The town's bus policy requires such information on political or religious ads.

The ad was removed on Aug. 24 but returned after contact information was added.