A number of activists have called on the American people to boycott the Black Friday shopping day in solidarity with an African-American teenager killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Angry about the failure to indict white police officer Darren Wilson who shot Michael Brown in August, the activists urged the boycott.
Twitter users showed solidarity with the hashtags #NoShoppingThisFriday, #BlackOutBlackFriday, #HandsUpDontSpend, #NotOneDime and #BrownFriday.
The Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition in Ferguson asked supporters not to shop during Thanksgiving weekend, or to shop solely at black-owned businesses.
The group also plans to march through shopping malls in silence on Black Friday.
Another group led by filmmaker Ryan Coogler is focusing on social media outreach.
Major retail chains depend on our shopping to keep them afloat, especially during the holiday season, Blackout For Human Rights representative Michael Latt said. But the lives of our brothers and sisters are worth more than the dollars we can save on holiday gifts.
The protest leaders say their movement aims to force change in the politics of American justice system.
African-Americans have a buying power of 1.3 trillion dollars and organizers say black Americans can show the power of their community by the boycott.
The protest movements action coincides with a planned walkout of Walmart employees across the country.
One of Birmingham's first black female police officers, the Rev. Gwendolyn Cook Webb, said that police officers need to remember the oath they take.
"As a police officer, I don't care what color the officer was, what color the person was, you're supposed to serve and protect," she said.
By Press TV
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