This past Black Friday in San Francisco has been filled with political turmoil. While crowds of people were cruising though store aisles trying to spot the best deal of the weekend, another crowd was marching through the streets trying to bring awareness to the events taking place in Ferguson and igniting participation in these public demonstrations.
Revolution News- #blackoutblackfriday facebook.com/revnews
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/11/28/activists-protest-ferguson-decision-ahead-of-union-square-black-friday-tree-lighting-san-francisco-macys-michael-brown-shooting-police-killings-embarcadero/
It seems that capitalist consumer behavior is magnified on major holiday sales and our concern for the social injustices that happen within our neighborhoods come second to our desire of material items. Protesters shouted "Black Friday doesn't matter, Black lives matter," (CBS) but how many people acted upon those words? How many people turned their heads away from the protest to watch the Christmas tree be lit on Union Square? And how many customers turn their heads away from the working conditions of low wage laborers to purchase a new sale item?
We shouldn't be ignoring other peoples hardships in order us to enjoy the things that we buy. We shouldn't be supporting establishments that actively discriminate against people due to race or religious beliefs etc. (NewsSource) We should concern ourselves with unfair and unethical practices and find ways to solve those problems.
Protests are reminders that social problems still exist but that there are also people who are willing fight back. The Ferguson protest is a reminder that people should matter more than material objects and we should realign our ethics to create a community that is not only accepting towards others but stands up for each other in times of need.
Sources
"Abercrombie and Fitch Settles $40 Million Discrimination Suit" News Source. 2004. http://yellowworld.org/civil_rights/280.html
"Black Friday Protest Over Ferguson Turns Ugly, Clashes in Union Square, Mission District" CBS News. Nov 28, 2014. Web
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/11/28/activists-protest-ferguson-decision-ahead-of-union-square-black-friday-tree-lighting-san-francisco-macys-michael-brown-shooting-police-killings-embarcadero/
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