You Can’t Vote in Civil Rights-Boycotting Florida Produced Products For Justice, in the wake of Donald Maison Jr Shooting

   If you are currently boycotting Florida’s economy by not purchasing their products and services in any state, you’re doing a lot. You are standing up for the principle and the injustice of the genocide of our young men. This country only understands one language, not English, MONEY!! Corporations run this country, especially since Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision gave them the same status as people and they can donate all the money they want to candidates.  Not sure what products are Florida based? Click here. Do it in any state.

  SO VOTING ALONE DOESN’T HELP! EVERY CANDIDATE IS INDEBTED TO SOME CORPORATION OR OTHER. The biggest influence you can have in politics, right now is the much celebrated “non violent civil disobedience” of Dr.King. Hit them where it hurts, in the pockets, then you will see change. Just like back then, it holds true today.

 You can not “vote” in civil rights. Repeat you can not vote in civil rights. How did gays get the right to marry? Supreme Court decision. What ended segregation? Same thing. What ended slavery? War. No civil rights are won by vote.  EVER, EVER EVER!! And they never will be, because people are not going to give up power willingly.

    Young people don’t realize that if someone hadn’t boycotted, sat int, marched, fought wars, African Americans would be slaves or second class citizens now. People died so blacks people could vote, be free, get education, etc. It didn’t change by itself or because racists felt like giving it to us. We had to fight. To stop these racially profiled killings, we have to fight again. Make an example out of Florida, so no state feels they can kill our young men & not feel the wrath. Pls consider boycotting Florida produced products too. Older folks have no excuse, if you lived through any of the Civil Rights Movement. you know better.

     Our unarmed young black men have been slaughtered for CENTURIES. It’s ok in this country to kill a young black man for just being black right now. Emmett Till, Sea Bell, Amadou Diallo, Trayvon Martin, Israel Hernandez (hispanic but a minority still), Troy Davis, Jordan Davis, Oscar Grant, how many bodies do we need to count?  Name ONE other race that you can make a list like that? I’ll wait? And being horrendously maimed or unjustly imprisoned-

PLEASE LOOK AT THIS LATEST CASE, 8yrs old. Donald Maison Jr. It has to stop now!! Make a example out of Florida, break their economy and all states will be on notice. If you kill or maim our children based on race, you will. suffer. Remember when companies lose money they make moves. Buses lost money in Boycotts, buses desegregated. Worked for Dr.King, will work for us now..  No civil rights leader of today is taking this on as an issue wholeheartedly. They hoop and holla each time and then move on. You can be a part of ending it now!

     We are not powerless. You can join Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Mary, Mary, Gerald Levert, Laila Hathaway, ESPN columnist Scoop Jackson,  and other principled people who may not be speaking out because they are under corporate contracts.  Use your economic power! Boycott Florida until the laws change and show America African Americans do have strength.

50th Anniversary March on Washington, Honoring or Mocking of Dr. King’s Legacy

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr.King was not a civil rights leader of words without deeds, as we witnessed from most of the speakers during the Aug 24th 50th Anniversary Commemorative March in his honor. Dr King didn’t just give speeches & wait on the outcome of votes to win the victories of equality. He practiced & participated in what he preached. He never endorsed a political candidate or relied on their assistance in his battles. In fact, there were never any black civil rights won through votes.

But there weren’t  many calls for organized civil actions from the speakers at the rally in Dr. King’s honor for the struggles we continue to face today. No one endorsed of his practice of organized, non-violent civil disobedience or offered to organize an event. I’m especially the issues, referenced by many of the speakers, of the unpunished racially profiled assaults, arrests & genocide of African-American men and prison inequities in the prison industry. I heard mentions of “the civil rights battle wasn’t over, “we must continue the fight”- mostly aimed at getting the Supreme Court’s recent gutting of The Voting Rights Act overturned, without much specific on how.

Rep. John Lewis, one of the original civil rights leaders & speakers, came very close to suggesting organized action. Regarding the Voting Rights Bill, he said, “You can not stand by, you can not sit down, you have to stand up. We must get out, speak up. Make some noise.” He declared voting was the most powerful tool. He referenced the technology (internet, iphones, etc) as ways we must use to communicate to our Congressmen, we can’t allow the attacks of Voting Rights Protections & Healthcare to stand. However, he didn’t offer any direction on how  to organize those efforts. (but God he has done more than his share, as he even reminded us how he shed blood along side Dr.King during the original civil rights movement)

Only Myrlie Evers came close. She spoke directly of SYG laws, suggesting we take the terms literally “Stand Your Ground” and stop the course of [rights] which are slowly being taken away from us. Adding that we should not forget the women represented in the past civil rights movement & today, she continued
“Stand your ground for freedom and justice and do whatever is necessary and legal to move this country forward.” (The only phrase heard that came close to Dr.King’s ideology.) “Because we are on stand still today, stand still that looks back and we can not let that happen.” She continued to speak of allowing the leaders of yesterday to step back, yet reach out a hand to the young leaders of today “because we need them”…

“50yrs ago today Dr.King & so many others helped to show us the way and give us the strength… let us not forget the history and let us move forward.”

But despite acknowledging, just a few seconds ago, that “we are at a stand still now” (implying from my perspective things are moving backward on their watch) & acknowledging Dr.King had given us the blueprint years ago, she felt the the old guard should step back?

From the history of Dr.King, I find it hard to believe his stance on the ongoing racially profiled arrests, maiming and murders of our innocent, unarmed men, would be him just encouraging us to vote. From Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo all with in the pass 15 yrs & the sudden recent rash of murders in Florida of #Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis & Israel Hernandez, I can’t imagine Dr.King sanctioning the non action being taken. Add to that shooting of 60 yr old Roy Middleton in his own driveway holding only  a cigarette in his hand, but having his entire leg shattered by a barrage of 15 police bullets and the 20yr sentence Marissa Alexander is serving for shooting a warning bullet into a wall, I believe Dr. King would be directing, (if not personally involved)  some direct non violent protest until the conditions that encourage this behavior is ended.

Dr.King methods were organized, non-violent, civil disobedience campaigns:marches, sit-ins, protests & boycotts, which he dedicated his career & life, as the way to counter racial injustice where ever it occurred in the nation.
    Yes he gave speeches to ignite the movements but his commitment didn’t end there. Dr.King, along with the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), immediately organized, lead and participated, side by side with the citizens, who risked their liberty & sometimes lives in these movements. Dr. King, himself was seriously injured twice & jailed 29 times.

An overview of a few of the campaigns he led show the stark contrast between him and the leaders of today, which strongly correlate with the lack of progress Mrs Evars so eloquently noted:

  The Selma to Montgomery Campaign– Aimed at securing enforcement of African-American voting rights, the 54 mile march & protests were met with violence from the KKK, local police enforcement, incarceration of many of the marchers & leaders including King. & two unprosecuted deaths. Only after the 2nd death, by court order was the march & planned occupation of Selma allowed to continue.  Upon reaching Montgomery, Dr.King & protesters were supported by a host  of the most popular celebrities of that era -Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joan Baez and Nina Simone all performed.
When protesters demands were still not met, Dr. King called for a boycott of the state of Alabama products. He not only organized but helped enforce it by having members of the campaign patrol the downtown areas encouraging any blacks shoppers to not patronize segregated businesses.

The outcome of this effort was President Lyndon B. Johnson promoting the bill which would become Voting Rights Aug 16, 1965, giving federal protection to Black voters in every state.

 Montgomery Bus Boycott– Though initially started by a church grass-roots effort & the NAACP, it wasn’t until Dr. King & his coalition became involved the effort grew and gained national attention & support. After suffering similar harassment, violent attacks & incarceration, etc, the coalition finally won desegregation on all public transportation of in Alabama & all interstate transportation.

The Birmingham Campaign of 1963–  Was a model of mixed direct action protests, as it effectively shut down the city, drawing worldwide media attention to harsh violent treatment Blacks were suffering under the racial segregation in the South.” This campaign endure all the same brutal acts of the mentioned above& much worse such as bombings. But due to its multifaceted, highly organized combination of protest tactics this campaign brought about the most change. It included several defiant  marches with the intention of causing arrests until the jails were full to the brim,  sit-ins at business & public facilities banned by use for blacks, a highly organized and monitored boycott of the cities businesses that even drew support of whites in the city and a coalition of rabbis  who declared the treatment of the protesters and citizens akin to the Holocaust. After months the jails and businesses in the city were completely non violently disrupted to the point of a total shutdown.

Resolution-On May 8th, business owner voluntarily gave into the protests demands removing their “whites only” signs & serve & hire black employee, against the will of cities politicians.On May 10, Fred Shuttlesworth and Martin Luther King told reporters that they had an agreement from the City of Birmingham to desegregate lunch counters, restrooms, drinking fountains and fitting rooms within 90 days, and to hire blacks in stores as salesmen and clerks. Those in jail would be released on bond or their own recognizance. Urged by President Kennedy, the United Auto Workers, National Maritime Union, United Steelworkers Union, and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) raised $237,000 in bail money ($1,780,000 in 2013) to free the demonstrators. Commissioner Connor and the outgoing mayor condemned the resolution.

The reality of how fast all of these victories took time to implement & were followed by much resistance, including violence (pls see link for full account). But these are the methods which ended the racial injustices we benefit from today, and only some modified version of those same organized tactics will be the only what ends the ones we face now.

It will required a highly  committed group of leaders and supporters working in concert to effect any change in the racist policies we were living through today the wave of unpunished racially profiled murders, maiming and prosecutions and the school to prison pipeline orchestrated in many states. Due to the subversive nature of how these injustices are carried out, no amount of legislation can correct it. Pass a law saying “no racial profiling”? What officer has ever admitted to simply arresting, shooting or murder based on race anyway, it would be a toothless measure. Shut down any city with a wave of protests and boycotts the economic suffering alone will bring on the change needed. It’s the only language this corporate run country understands

And those were only the highlights of Dr. King’s career. Up until his death, Dr. King continued to fight for economic freedom having moved into public housing & was campaigning for the impoverished. He and his family lived, the civil rights movement while they lead it. Now we only seem to have a bunch of talking heads, some making great commentary and some completely out of touch. Only the Dreamdefenders.org with the support of Harry Belafonte followed the methods, Dr. King and so many other laid down their lives for. Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Mary Mary & Gerald Levert have joined in a boycott effort that would make Dr.King proud.

But for the rest of the bunch, I can’t say the same. They only spew the same rhetoric every time one of our men fall victim & manage to get in the spotlight. But no action, no organizing…. they really should be ashamed of pretending to be following in the footsteps Dr. King’s efforts. With the exception of President Obama, who obviously can not take sides in this matter as leader of the entire country, none of these self-proclaimed “Civil Rights Leaders” are leading much of anything, except the salaries they collect as pundits.

How To Boycott Florida From Any State-List of Florida Based Corps

An economic boycott of Florida based companies will force corporations to use their power and influence to change the laws that set child murder George Zimmerman free and put an end to their corrupt legal system.

While protests & vigils are appropriate, they haven’t done much to stop the tide of racially profiled murder victims. We’ve held them following Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Rodney King with little effect.

Here’s a list of Florida based companies you can boycott from any state, that will have a strong economic impact & bring about meaningful change:(It’s so a good idea to tweet them too)

1) Do not buy products or services produced in Florida. Oranges, Tropicana orange juice, Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics, Hertz Rental cars, Perry Ellis International,Tupperware, Sunbeam appliances, Trac Phone Wireless, Cash4Gold, EA Tiburon which owns EA Electronics Video Games

2) Don’t patronize restaurants based in Florida. Darden corporation owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s and Yard House, Bloom Brand own Outback Steakhouse, also these franchises Pizza Fusion, Ruth’s Chris Steak House

3) Don’t shop at any stores based out of Florida. Office Depot, Stein Mart Clothing, Bijoux Terner Fashions, Peace Love World Apparel ,Badcock Home Furniture, Champs Sports, Tire Kingdom

4) Don’t stay at hotels with owner companies based in Florida. Chatham Lodging Trust owns many Residence Inns, Hyatt Hotels, Hampton Inns.

5) Don’t use any Florida based web services such as Web.com, Friend finder Networks owns perfectmatch.com, friendfinder.com

6) Don’t buy from HSN, the Home Shopping Network.

7) Don’t shop at any Florida based grocery stores WinnDixie, Publix Super Markets

8) Don’t buy from Florida based online companies – Tiger Direct Computer Supplies, Bankrate.com

9)Please plan your vacation & conventions in other states, Skip Disney, Epcot Center, Orlando Studios

10) If anyone knows of companies that should be added please leave them in the comments

Don’t forget, there are alternatives to all these products, so even if you live in Florida you can still boycott these companies by buying products & services produced by out of state companies. You don’t have to leave the state to boycott.

Please don’t be taken by the fear mongering headlines that boycotting will effect the people hurting most in Florida. It’s going after large corporations, not small business owners. If this is done nationwide, the losses these companies will suffer should cause them to take action long before huge layoffs take place.  Peace and Blessings

Why We Must Form A Mass Consolidated Boycott For Trayvon Martin

The unjust verdict that freed killer George Zimmeran last week is almost unbelievable.

I say almost because with a $400,000 defense team most folks would stand a good chance of getting off. That money was raised through donations from one website put up & promoted  by his attorneys so his supporters could send their donations to one place.

In the aftermath, Martin supporters have done an excellent job of protesting, petitioning and campaigning calls for justice. Very effectively, almost to the point where the DOJ may reopen their investigation & possibly try Zimmerman on civil rights violations

But there’s a big problem in the black community when it comes to consolidating our efforts to seek justice. Random national protests, especially these do a lot to create awareness & force the government to action. But unless these efforts are consolidated where there’s a huge number of people under one organization, these protests will eventually become little more than be a nuisance to local police departments & the country at large.

The only thing this country really responds to is threats to the economy or corporations losing dollars. If all the organizations around the country joined together to protest by boycotting businesses in Florida the response would be astronomical.
BUT and this is a big but, it will have to be 100’s of millions Martin supporters, vowed to boycott Florida based corporations & products, other corps that do business with Florida & celebrities that performed there. Then their economy would tank & we’d see legislators take action.  If only a couple thousand supporters tweet boycott Florida, join Facebook groups and apply no pressure, these billion dollar corporations can easily absorb small losses & ignore it.

History confirms this. Look at the results of the aftermath of the deaths of Amaduo Diallo, Sean Bell and Oscar Grant. All had large protests, outcries for justice and memorial organizations created in their honor. Aside from the Bell memorial org, that runs a children center, the rest are bankrupt and have no impact on lobbying for laws to prevent racially profiled deaths. You can verify all of this at Find the Best which tracks all non profits.

Don’t we want the results to be different this time? Don’t we want real change and an end to racially profiled killings? Or do we just want to be reactionary every time one high-profile case happens?

If you want change, I would encourage everyone interested in seeking justice for the Martin Family & an end to racially profiled deaths to encourage their individual organizations to become consolidated in their efforts. This way the numbers will be in the millions & effective at getting something systematically done. 500 different organizations all trying to accomplish the same goal won’t have that of impact. The civil rights movement taught us that much.

All the Facebook book groups should unite, Tweeters should meet & plan campaigns similar to the #StopRush movement, which was wildly successful getting sponsors to drop Limbaugh’s show. Local offline groups should join a centralized movement & act in concert. Really the NAACP should be spearheading this effort, but if you’ve noticed over the past 20 years they don’t get involved until relatives have begged, churches have already formed local coalitions or a case is over (see what they haven’t done for Marissa Alexander & 100’s of others).

I’m begging the leaders that have the ear of the country to form an organization specifically for this cause, so that all groups & individuals can join to make real change this time. We can protest only so long in decentralized groups & make a temporary impact until the next racially profiled death get’s attention.
Or we can take a page from groups like #StopRush, PollyKlass Foundation or hell even Zimmeran’s attorney’s that consolidated their efforts & dollars to free him.

Let’s get it right this time.

PS Kudos to Stevie Wonder for taking a stand. Please encourage all African-American & justice supporters to do the same thing. No, African-American would have the rights they do today if our predecessors didn’t fight & die for them. Don’t be an ungrateful beneficiary.

Don’t live or plan to travel to Florida? Here’s a list of Florida based corporations so you can still tweet them & boycott them,

Florida Based Companies     Some you won’t recognize like Darden’s but they own Red Lobster & Olive   Garden, so click on them to see what business they run.

Also after I originally wrote this, Jesse Jackson has come forward to ask for national boycott.