Broken Arrow drivers contacted FOX23 News after doing a double take while driving past a chiropractor’s office at 91st Street and South Elm. The outdoor sign, a message board, has written in it:
“You are a chained slave to a bad back. Get help here!”
One driver told FOX23 news, “I could not believe that was what I read on my home. I turned back around and stopped to take a picture. I hope that message is not meant to be malicious. That recent movie Django Unchained just came out and I saw it and so the image of chained slaves is very visual for me.”
Another driver saw her Facebook post of the picture and went by 91st and Elm to see the sign for himself.
“I was surprised too,” said Jacob Washbourne. “It is not appropriate and it has racist undertones.”
Washbourne would like to see the sign taken down.
FOX23 News went into the chiropractor’s office to ask him why he chose that wording for his message board. Dr. Royal Langford explained his chiropractic mentor, who has passed away, used to use a similar phrase.
“Dr. Parker would always say ‘You are a chained slave to anyone you dislike, and I decided that would make a good reader board,” said Dr. Langford. “You are a chained slave to a bad back. The idea is maybe they will get the idea to get some chiropractor adjustments. I thought that was a good way to get their attention. Apparently, it got somebody’s attention. It’s not meant to be anything negative.”
Dr. Langford has been a chiropractor in Broken Arrow for 35 years. He is 75-years-old and has been putting messages in his board for more than twenty years.
“I change the message two or three times a week- sometimes 16 times a month,” said Dr. Langford.
He records each one by taking its picture and putting it into binders with the month and year printed on each page with each picture.
“I have hundreds, maybe thousands it seems like, of these pictures,” said Dr. Langford. “One of my favorite messages is the one about the chained slave. We used Dr. Parker’s phrase a few years ago, and last week I changed it a little to reference the back. I am in the back business.”
He says he never meant to offend anyone but he plans to keep the message up there until Wednesday when he plans on putting a new message up.
Drivers, like Washbourne think it would be better if he took it down.
“From a business perspective, I think he would be better off taking it down sooner rather than later,” said Washbourne.
