Update on Protest: Publix Blinks

Die-in Protest at Publix. From The Miami Herald

This is stunning!

According to the Miami Herald, the Publix supermarket chain announced this afternoon that it is stopping all political contributions. The move was in response to a protest organized by David Hogg, a high school student who survived the February massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The protest was in reaction to news that Publix had donated $670,000 to Republican Adam Putnam, a self-described “NRA sellout.”

Publix apologized for putting its employees and customers “in the middle of a political debate”. The Miami Herald story says that in “this election cycle alone, Publix has donated $2.1 million to state candidates, according to the Florida Division of Elections website. In the 2016 elections, the database shows the company gave $3 million.” According to Open Secrets, for the 2018 election cycle about 90 percent of the company’s contributions went to the Republican Party or candidates.

This change in policy will not affect any contributions already made. Nonetheless, it seems like a signal achievement by these amazing kids from Parkland, who have moved the needle on gun control where no one else could.

There is a lesson here for the rest of us.