JFK picture on side of Dallas tour bus draws ire, threats

A Dallas tour company is being heavily criticized for the placement of a photo of President John F. Kennedy on the side of one of its buses.

The owner of Dallas City Tour said he received so much negative feedback, and even threats, he was forced to cover up the image of the slain president.

The image that got so many fired up is a picture of Kennedy’s head with the words “Big Things Happen Here.”

Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

In addition to the words, a handle for the bus doors is in the middle of Kennedy’s forehead. Kennedy was shot in the head.

Company owner Ricardo Hernandez told The Times the entire situation was a complete misunderstanding, and he did not intend to be disrespectful to the fallen president.

“It was meant to be a tribute to Kennedy,” he said. “The placement of everything was just a coincidence.”

The company gives bus tours of the city, including locations associated with Kennedy’s assassination.

The Kennedy photo had been on the bus for eight months, but after a picture of the bus flooded social media earlier in the week, Hernandez said he had no option but to cover the image.

“‘Big Things Happen Here’ is the Dallas slogan, it wasn’t meant to be a reference to the Kennedy assassination,” Hernandez said.

Still, that has not stopped a barrage of angry calls to his office, he said.

“I got a call first thing this morning of someone threatening me for disrespecting the president,” Hernandez said. “I’m not sure when that will end.”

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