Publix Suspends Contributions To NRA-Backed Politician Amid Protests
Protests prompted supermarket chain Publix to suspend all political contributions after it was revealed to have given more than half a million dollars to a Florida Republican who called himself a “proud NRA sellout.”
Publix was found to have given $670,000 in donations over the past three years to Adam Putnam, Florida’s current agriculture commissioner, who is now running for governor. But in Florida, where a school shooter in Parkland killed 17 people earlier this year, many locals aren’t about to let a National Rifle Association “sellout” run their state.
On Wednesday, Parkland shooting survivor and gun-control activist David Hogg issued a call on Twitter for people to stage a “die in” at the grocery store, which has locations throughout the Southeast.
.@Publix is a #NRASellOut
In Parkland we will have a die in the Friday (the 25th) before memorial day weekend. Starting at 4pm for 12 min inside our 2 Publix stores. Just go an lie down starting at 4. Feel free to die in with us at as many other @Publix as possible.— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) May 23, 2018
Prior to the demonstration, Publix issued a statement expressing “regret” that its political contributions had led to an “unintentional customer divide.” On Friday, it released a new statement saying it would be suspending political contributions.
“We would never knowingly disappoint our customers or the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement provided to HuffPost. “As a result, we decided earlier this week to suspend corporate-funded political contributions as we reevaluate our giving processes.”
The same day, Hogg attended a protest at a Coral Springs Publix, where he and supporters lay on the floor for 12 minutes.
Die-in @Publix by @davidhogg111 and other protesting the grocery chains political contribution to @adamputnam who is backed by @NRA @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/b8YmaL23Dj
— Todd Tongen (@toddtongen) May 25, 2018
“USA over NRA!” the activists chanted at one point.
'Where shooting is a pleasure:' Parkland school shooting survivor and activist David Hogg organized a 'die-in' protest at a Publix supermarket in Coral Springs today. Inside, they were met with shouts from National Rifle Association supporters >> https://t.co/nhFfywze9i pic.twitter.com/IoDM4BwjyG
— WTXL ABC 27 (@abc27) May 25, 2018
“Suspended means nothing,” Ryan Deitsch, a March for Our Lives activist at the Coral Springs store, told the Sun Sentinel. “Publix knows we’re not going away.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.