From Cincinnati Enquirer: Museum dodges dialogue on 'Bodies'

I called five members of the Museum Center's advisory panel to ask: If you had known all this, would you still have approved this exhibit?

Only two responded. Rabbi Irv Wise said he did not attend any of the meetings.

Hamilton County Coroner O'dell Owens replied, "More has come out that was not told to us." He said the exhibit had been in many cities, so nobody questioned the bodies. "We weren't given clear enough information. The Museum Center assured us they had done the due diligence."

What he's heard since "casts doubt on that, but given the information we had at the time, we made the right call."

The Cincinnati Museum Center was never interested in having the advisory panel be anything more than a rubber stamp of acceptance for the Bodies the Exhibition.

I spoke to a member of the advisory panel, Rev. Calvin Harper shortly before the exhibit opened.  He told me that he was never told about issues regarding the origins of the bodies or the controversial nature of the exhibit.  There was no discussion, just a presentation.

If the Cincinnati Museum Center was truly interested in creating a working advisory panel to advise on an exhibit as controversial as this, wouldn't you think that they would have invited more people with differing viewpoints so they could see the complete picture?

And why weren't any members of the Chinese community on this advisory panel?  It's like having a discussion about the pros and cons of slavery without inviting any African-Americans.

The Cincinnati Museum Center has no desire for the truth and is looking for every excuse to continue to profit from this exhibit.

Jim Borgman has drawn another cartoon about the Bodies the Exhibition.

It's one of Borgman's weaker cartoons.  There's much more potential humor and insight than "it's kind of creepy".  One of the characters does carry a paper that says "Plastinated Bodies: were they executed prisoners?"

From Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Bodies' settles with N.Y.

This is an interesting article because it is one of the few where Cincinnati Museum CEO Douglass McDonald actually makes a statement.  Usually, he's hiding behind a statement from Premier.

"It's a New York document. We talked to our lawyers and it applies only to New York, not Cincinnati," said Douglass McDonald, president and CEO of the Museum Center. "Obviously, we'll continue to watch the events and monitor changes, but at this juncture, it doesn't change anything for us.

As a legal document, it definitely only applies to NY.  However, Premier's own lawyer is quoted in saying that they would apply it to "operations worldwide".

The Premier lawyer who negotiated the settlement, general counsel Brian Wainger, said, "We are happy to have this behind us." Wainger said the settlement terms only applied to exhibits in the state of New York but that the company would "adopt practices that mirror New York's requirements" in its operations worldwide.

But, it should be more than what the lawyers say.  The exhibit in NY is in South Street Seaport, an entertainment district.  The exhibit here in Cincinnati is at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  The Cincinnati Museum Center has a duty to the public as a learning center to provide both educational and ethical displays.  The ethics of this exhibit has been called into question.  Premier has made assertions about the source of the bodies, but are not able to back any of it up.  How can you trust what Premier or the Cincinnati Museum Center has to say about this?

"I'm not surprised, though. Cuomo announced his investigation the day before ABC announced the show, and that was a day before sweeps week began, so you knew something had to happen.

Oh, so blame it on the sweeps week.

"I'm still comfortable with the exhibit. What we know for sure is that it continues to be a spectacular, educational exhibit. We've been looking at hard facts and evidence since we started considering the exhibit, and the hard facts and evidence continue to support the positive information Premier gave us at the beginning."

The hard facts are that Premier has settled with the NY Attorney General's office and admit that they are unable to prove where the bodies come from. 

McDonald refers to a paragraph in Cuomo's formal document that seems to support the claim that the bodies are not executed prisoners.

Paragraph 14 reads: "Premier has also affirmatively represented that it conducted its own internal due diligence and ... independently concluded that the specimens currently on display in New York are not, and do not come from, Chinese prisoners who were subjected to execution, torture or other forms of physical abuse. ... Premier's ability to independently analyze the Whole Bodies is not at issue here. Premier, however, cannot independently confirm that any of the over 200 parts in the New York Exhibit were not taken from Chinese citizens or residents who were executed, tortured or subjected to other physical abuse."

What McDonald neglects to say, is that paragraph 14 is Premier's own statement.  Of course Premier's statement is going to support what he believes in.

Paragraph 15, which he conveniently leaves out states this:

15. The Attorney General finds that, given the sensitive and controversial nature of Premier's Bodies Exhibits, including the one in New York, and particularly given the history of human rights violations in China, the above-referenced representations made by or on behalf of Premier were overstated.

Premier does not deny the Attorney General's findings.  When I see Douglass McDonald's statements, I see someone who's desperate to keep the money flowing no matter what the costs.   

From the NY Attorney General's Assurance of Discontinuance:

...Premier shall clearly and conspicuously make the following disclosures on its website and in the lobby of any Covered Exhibit:

(A) "This exhibit displays human remains of Chinese citizens or residents which were originally received by the Chinese Bureau of Police.  The Chinese Bureau of Police may receive bodies from Chinese prisons.  Premier cannot independently verify that the human remains you are viewing are not those of persons who were incarcerated in Chinese prisons."

(B) "This exhibit displays full body cadavers as well as human body parts, organs, fetuses and embryos that come from cadavers of Chinese citizens or residents.  With respect to the human parts, organs, fetuses and embryos you are viewing, Premier relies solely on the representations of its Chinese partners and cannont independently verify that they do not belong to persons executed while incarcerated in Chinese prisons."

How much does Bodies the Exhibition cost at the Cincinnati Museum Center?  ZERO.  If you didn't know that the bodies were possibly of tortured and executed Chinese prisoners.  Bodies that may have been purchased from the black market.

If you're disgusted about this, ask for your refund.

From ABCNews.com: Crackdown on Ghoulish 'Body Exhibitions'

The Premier lawyer who negotiated the settlement, general counsel Brian Wainger, said, "We are happy to have this behind us." Wainger said the settlement terms only applied to exhibits in the state of New York but that the company would "adopt practices that mirror New York's requirements" in its operations worldwide.

One of the requirements Premier Exhibitions agreed upon in the NY settlement is to offer refunds.

If by chance, the Cincinnati Museum Center refuses to refund your money, please tell them that you'll be contacting the Ohio Attorney General's office and asking for an investigation.

Ohio Attorney General
State Office Tower
30 E. Broad Street, 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3428
(614) 466-4320

WCPO Channel 9 Cincinnati covered the third in a series of discussion of the Bodies the Exhibition.  This discussion took place last night at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

While useful, I feel like the structure of the forums prevented an effective discussion to take place.  Instead of having the parties in dispute involved, the activists and the Cincinnati Museum Center, the forums relied on discussions from third parties to make arguments about the issues.

While this made for a civil discussion, beating around the bush doesn't get to the heart of the matter.  I believe that a lot of the attendees expected someone from the Cincinnati Museum Center to answer questions, but the Cincinnati Museum Center never had a desire for a true dialog.  They joined the forums as a sponsor, but was more of a reluctant participant.

For example, last night there were no signs at the Cincinnati Museum Center for the discussion, employees weren't told about it, and zero advertising on the Museum Center's website.  There was a printed out sign for a wedding reception, but they couldn't print a sign for the forum?

If the Cincinnati Museum Center wanted a discussion, they could have organized a forum at any time to answer the questions of the public.  But, they have not chosen to do so.  All we get are statements from Premier, and vague references to documents that are never shown.  Trust us, they say.  We know what trust is worth when dealing with money and profit.  Nothing.

The Cincinnati Museum Center has consistently said that if new information were revealed, they would review the situation.  Any such review should be in a public forum and include members of the community and not their stacked "ethics" panel.  My impressions from speaking to members of the "ethics" panel was that evidence against the exhibit was not shown and that the "ethics" panel was chosen for their endorsement value.  No Chinese community leaders were asked to be part of this "ethics" panel.

Anytime the Cincinnati Museum Center wants to have a dialog or re-examine the issues, there are plenty of us who are willing to participate.  But, I don't believe that the Cincinnati Museum Center is willing to examine the truth critically.  Their motive is money and with the flux in the Ohio Attorney General's office, there's little chance anything will happen before this show closes.  Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Museum Center continues to profit of the bodies of possible tortured and executed prisoners.

Video coverage of the Bodies Discussion from WCPO Channel 9 News

For some reason, the video doesn't work in Mac Safari, but it does work in Mac Firefox

From WCPO.com: Debate Goes On Over 'Bodies: The Exhibition' (written version)

Premier Exhibition, exhibitor of Bodies the Exhibition that is currently being shown at the Cincinnati Museum Center has settled with the NY Attorney General's Office.

"The grim reality is that Premier Exhibitions has profited from displaying the remains of individuals who may have been tortured and executed in China," said Attorney General Cuomo. 

"Despite repeated denials, we now know that Premier itself cannot demonstrate the circumstances that led to the death of the individuals.  Nor is Premier able to establish that these people consented to their remains being used in this manner.  Respect for the dead and respect for the public requires that Premier do more than simply assure us that there is no reason for concern.  This settlement is a start."

Premier Exhibitions will provide full ticket refunds to all customers who ask for it.

The Premier lawyer who negotiated the settlement, general counsel Brian Wainger, said, "We are happy to have this behind us." Wainger said the settlement terms only applied to exhibits in the state of New York but that the company would "adopt practices that mirror New York's requirements" in its operations worldwide.

It's been clear since the 20/20 news show that there are strong questions of where Premier Exhibitions gets bodies.  It was shown that Premier may have been purchasing the bodies of executed prisoners from the black market.  Political dissidents and religious practitioners are amongst that prisoners in China.  So, if there are executed prisoners, in this exhibit, there may be people in this exhibit that have committed no crimes except for speaking out against the Chinese government.

The Cincinnati Museum Center has been hiding behind Premier's "documentation" and profiting from this display.  The Cincinnati Museum Center has said that it would:

"act accordingly in response to any credible findings that may emerge from follow-up investigations being conducted by Premier Exhibitions and the New York Attorney General"

The Cincinnati Museum Center has previously chosen to take the low road and to wait and see if it can get away with profiting from the show.  If the Cincinnati Museum Center had an ethical backbone, it would sue Premier to break its contract and close the exhibit. 

UPDATE: (fixed link below)
Press Release from NY Attorney General's Office: CUOMO SETTLEMENT WITH "BODIES. . . .THE EXHIBITION" ENDS THE PRACTICE OF USING HUMAN REMAINS OF SUSPECT ORIGINS

From ABCnews.com: Crackdown on Ghoulish 'Body Exhibitions'
From NYTimes.com: 'Bodies' Show Must Put Up Warnings

From the Cincinnati Enquirer: Bill would ban 'Bodies' imports

Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has introduced a bill to prohibit the importation of plastinated human remains. He's concerned that some of the Chinese people in the exhibit didn't give permission for their bodies to be on display.

This news is several weeks old, but it's good that it's been reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Generally, you only hear about Bodies the Exhibition through the nonstop advertising from the Musem Center.

It opened Feb. 1 for a seven-month run and already has sold 150,000 tickets priced at $11 to $23. Akin's bill does not single out any particular Bodies exhibit or company that performs plastination. It wouldn't affect any current shows.

Museum spokesman Rodger Pille declined to comment on the legislation, but said in a statement that the Museum Center "stands by the strong educational value of this exhibition."

The Museum Center has a responsibility to the public to put on shows that are ethical.  They bear the burden of proof, but instead they're turning a blind eye to this because of the profits this show can bring.  They say it's all about education, but what this really is selling out for proffits.

"Education" has been used throughout the years to justify many wrongs.  You can justify Nazi experiments or Tuskegee if you leave out ethical issues and just focus on education.

From Cincinnati Enquirer: Amazing Wu still speaking up

Peter Bronson wrote a very nice piece in the Cincinnati Enquier about Harry Wu's visit to Cincinnati to speak about the Bodies the Exhibition.

Harry Wu, human rights activist, spoke yesterday at the University of Cincinnati about his experiences as a prisoner in China.  Mr. Wu spent 19 years in labor camps even though he had never committed or formally charged with a crime.  He was considered a "counter revolutionary" and was imprisoned for speaking out against the government.

Today, Mr. Wu is the executive director of the Laogai Research Foundation that was established to spread awareness of the prison labor camps and has since expanded its focus to:

- from the Laogai Research website
"to document and report on other systemic human rights violations in China, including public executions, organ harvesting from executed prisoners, the coercive enforcement of China's population control policy, and persecution of religious believers."

Harry Wu spoke extensively about the prison system and how products that we buy today are still being manufactured by prison labor.  Products that are being sold in Walmart come from prison factories.  Walmart is shielded from this by buying through trading companies that "certify" through documents that the products are not being manufactured by prisoners.  However, all certification documents in China are relatively easy to obtain and really don't mean anything.  That's why we can get food that's contaminated or paint that has lead in it.

The prison labor is used to create products for almost every industry- electronics, heavy manufacturing, and consumer goods. 

Many of the prisoners are convicted criminals, but there are political prisoners amongst them sent to labor camps for "re-education".

Mr. Wu also spoke about the executions that take place.  China does not give out the numbers of prisoners that it executes per year, but Mr. Wu believes that it could be in the range of 10,000 to 20,000.

China is the second leading country in organ transplants.  Approximately 95% of all organs transplanted in China are from executed prisoners.

Mr. Wu then went on to touch on the Bodies the Exhibition.  He continually raised the point that if all the bodies were Jewish or African-American, what would we think?  He showed pictures of executed prisoners that were taken by a former assistant to the plastination factory in China.  Mr. Wu was told that the assistant knew that the bodies were from executed prisoners and that they were given free or purchased for $30-40 dollars.

Mr. Wu thinks that while he believes and is interested in science, that we need to remember that these are human beings.

My Reactions:
1. I was surprised by how much prison labor is still being used to manufacture products.  Companies and the American public don't seem to be aware of the situation or don't care about it enough to do anything about it.  Companies like Walmart only seek documents that allow them to deny any involvement.  This is just akin to looking away.

2. Based on the questions asked during the Q&A, the general public in Cincinnati is NOT aware about a lot of the undisputed facts surrounding the Bodies the Exhibition that is being shown at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  The bodies there are not donor bodies, but bodies of un-consenting individuals.  It has been shown that some of the bodies at the exhibit may be executed prisoners.

The Museum Center is just like Walmart in the sense that they have chosen the lowest standard of ethical behavior.  They don't seek the truth of the situation amidst the allegations.  This is a cash cow for them and they're willing to look away.  They have plausible deniability and beyond that, they don't really care what the actual situation may be.

3. We are the land of the free, but we really don't appreciate the freedoms that we have.  We certainly do not do enough to help others around the world.

4. The interesting thing about Harry Wu's 19 years in prison was a question into how he was able to survive that long.  His answer, "I don't know", is kind of an amazing one.  In the movies, it's a dream, something that motivates you to survive.

5. Watching Harry Wu playing with a small child at the event was touching.  Can you imagine how 19 years in a labor camp would change you?  Life and freedom certainly seems much more precious.