A Michael Brown supporter is calling for residents in St. Louis and beyond to not shop on Black Friday. The boycott titled “No Justice, No Profit” is being organized by the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition and religious leaders. The group is asking people to show their support for Michael Brown by not shopping for the entire Thanksgiving weekend, starting Thursday.
Coalition member Dacia Polk said she hopes the boycott shows the community’s power.
“There will be no business as usual while those who are supposed to protect and serve us,” she said. “Until this nation begins to place value on black lives, there will be no value placed on this business because black lives matter.”
Coalition leaders aren’t against all shopping; they are encouraging people to spend at local black owned businesses over the holiday weekend.
Zaki Baruti of the coalition says that they’ve demonstrated, they’ve taken part in the political process, but activist are still being ignored.
“They don’t care about our pain so in that spirit we are asking businesses to put political pressure on the political leadership to do the right thing,” he said.
Beyond the boycott leaders also called for unity among groups supporting Brown, who was shot and killed on Aug. 9 after an encounter with Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson.