Maryland Halloween Attraction Mocking Marshall Islands Nuclear Testing?

A couple of weeks ago, Beverly Deepe Keever alerted Civil Beat readers to a zombie-themed Halloween attraction here on the East Coast that appears to be mocking the history of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.

The project is located at a warehouse in Rockville, Maryland, about a 45-minute train ride from downtown Washington. It runs through this week.

Do organizers feel they’ve been sensitive to the history and the Marshallese people? I’ve been trying to get a hold of someone at Project 4.1, and the director of operations originally said she’d be interested in talking. But I’ve left a few messages now and haven’t heard back.

Until then, here’s a link to the group’s website, where you can find the photo atop this post. Dig around a little bit further and you’ll see a disclaimer that says the organization “in no way intends to exploit this tragedy or its victims” and has reached out to the Marshall Islands ambassador.

The disclaimer also says the group will be contributing a portion of the proceeds to improve the quality of life in the Marshall Islands.

— Michael Levine