Make That Beast Look Friendlier

A tale of feisty men, a neighborhood and a panther that has to change colors.
When a diligent Daily Star reporter approached Ahmad el Masri, a Tareek Jdeedeh resident to ask him if he’s familiar with the neighborhood’s new “black panthers” logo, Ahmad whipped out his mobile phone, smiled and pointed at his screen: “This one, you mean?”

The unmistakable “black panthers” design is indeed a hit with Tareek Jdeedeh residents (or the TJ as a hip panther would call it). Even the logo’s designer, code named M.A, was surprised at its enormous success:

“I was so surprised to see my logo on flags and T-shirts,” said M.A., who added a special mark on the logo as a signature. “Today, I went to the store that sells flags and it was sold out. Imagine I have to buy my own design.”

So who are the panthers?

Maya Abdel Aziz, 18 year old Tareek Jdeedeh resident explains:

“The Panthers are security so that nothing happens to the people[..] They’re needed because the army can’t do anything. Like when the [BAU clashes] happened on Thursday, the army just watched while people broke cars.

“The Panthers stay awake,” Abdel-Aziz continued. “They take care of the security and they take shifts staying up and are aware of all the happenings in the area. They keep in contact with each other and they’re organized. For security though, both the Panthers and the army need to be present.”

Of course, a black panther is a bit harsh as a logo for armed vigilantes on the loose. This is why a brand face-lifting is in order. Shop owner Fatima discloses a secret on the next version of the logo: “Soon we’ll be selling buttons, only they’ll be in blue,”.

The color change might be a large and costly operation. Just ask Mr. Al-Masri who’ll have to upload a brand new image to his mobile phone.

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