JokersUpdates.com: BB News & Rumors - Advocates angry with CBS reality show

Miami Herald

Posted on Fri, Feb. 22, 2008

By CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com

Advocates for disabled people in South Florida called on Attorney General Bill McCollum to investigate a Miami Beach autism charity linked to a man who referred to children with autism as ''*****'' on the CBS reality TV show Big Brother.

At a small protest outside the Broward County Courthouse Friday morning, Evelyn Ain, the president of New York-based Autism United, blasted CBS and Big Brother for airing a show in which a South Florida man, Adam Jasinski, is heard using the derogatory word -- and then defending its use to cast members.

''Don Imus was fired for less,'' Ain said, referring to the former host of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning show, who referred to members of the Rutgers University's women's basketball team, which played for the national championship, as ''nappy headed hos.'' Several players were African-American.

Jasinski, who is identified on the show as a public relations manager for a charity group, the United Autism Foundation, told other members of the Big Brother house that he planned someday to open a beauty salon for disabled people ``so the ***** can get it together and get their hair done.''

One of the house members is heard saying, ''Don't call them that,'' as others look visibly upset. ''I can call them whatever I want,'' Jasinski replied. ``I work with them all day long, okay?''

Ain and Gary Greaves, a Boca Raton man who works in public relations and has an autistic child, said they wanted the Attorney General's Office to investigate Jasinski and the charitable foundation.

''We see red flags,'' Greaves said.

Ain said she was concerned about the possibility that the foundation, which encourages donations at a website that also promotes itself as a ''fan'' site for Jasinski, was ``taking advantage of the autism epidemic to make money.''

CBS's decision to air Jasinski's slur on the Feb. 13 broadcast has stirred so much controversy that Lowe's, the national home improvement chain, announced this week that it would cease advertising on the show, according to AdWeek, a trade publication.

Though the man who heads the United Autism Foundation, Olaf Hampel, has issued an apology over Jasinski's comments, neither CBS nor Jasinski has issued any statement.

Charity officials could not be reached Friday. Contact information has been deleted from the group's website. A call to a phone number associated with the charity went unanswered.

In December, Jasinski issued a press release to South Florida media promoting ''Autism Sunday,'' an event to raise money for ''health foods'' that, he said, could help ''reverse'' autism. The event included a bowl-a-thon and a go-cart race. In the release, Jasinski identified himself as the charity's public relations manager.

''We are supporting many families and their special-needs children to ensure they have an unforgettable 2007 holiday season,'' the press release said.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office said Friday afternoon that the agency has spoken with John Gilmore, an Autism United official, who said he had mailed a letter requesting an investigation. The agency has not yet received the complaint.

The attorney general also has received two separate complaints about Jasinski's comments along with concerns about the legitimacy of the charity for which he raised money.

The agency is ''reviewing'' the complaints, the spokeswoman said, but has not initiated a ''formal'' investigation yet.