Images Of Americans Detained Abroad Including Brittney Griner Projected On NYC Buildings For Biden And UN To See

This past weekend, large images of 19 wrongfully detained Americans abroad, including WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner appeared on buildings throughout New York City as meetings of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly concluded.

The emotionally compelling projections of each American spotlighted their individual stories and the anguish of their families and friends. Between each image were messages to President Biden reminding him that the families of detainees and Americans generally are counting on him and his Administration to bring them home.

“Make no mistake, seeing their images on buildings is powerful, but we would much rather see them HOME, on American soil, with their families,” said Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association.

“Our sister Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia for 219 days (as of September 24). We support the Biden Administration to do whatever is necessary to bring BG, Paul Whelan and all wrongfully detained Americans home.”

Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil in her suitcase when arriving to play with Russia's UMMC Ekaterinburg team, which she has done in the off-season since 2014.

Bring Our Families Home Campaign

The images projected throughout Manhattan and near the UN building were first displayed this past summer in Isaac Campbell’s Washington, D.C. mural for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign. 

According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are actually 64 publicly known cases of Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. 

With these public murals, families of American hostages and wrongful detainees hope to increase attention to the plight of their loved ones, educate the public about hostage diplomacy, and create community advocacy that will encourage the Biden administration to use all tools available to them to urgently bring them home.