Black Friday 2011: Protesters Look to 'Blackout' Post-Thanksgiving Shopping Day
As retailers like Walmart and Target gear up to release a sneak-peek of their Black Friday sales ads, protesters are planning a "Black Friday Blackout."
Through the website http://blackfridayblackout.com, protesters list several reasons for the strike - with the overall goal of sending a message to corporations by not participating in one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
The "blackout" is being defined as a general strike "in a step to return control [of] the economy to the people who really create the wealth."
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The website states: "Corporations offer lower prices on Black Friday because they depend on us buying their products. Large corporations use the holiday season to sell more products. Every year we hear about fights over toys, video games, and clothes. We will no longer let the corporations divide with the cheap trash they sell. We don't want 'deals'. We want real change."
Black Friday protesters are not only targeting customers, they are encouraging workers to go on strike as well.
"We will not work to sell the corporations garbage. We create the food, clothing, and services on which the nation depends. Real wealth comes from us, working class people, not Wall Street," continues the statement. "We work and slave away day after day to provide the basic necessities for ourselves and our families."
Organizers is looking to bank off the frustrations of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement - posting a photo of the Iraqi veteran who was gunned down in Oakland and the "Occupy Rome" march on the website.
To drive home the "Black Friday Blackout" message the website concludes: "All across the country and the world people have started standing up against oppression, corruption, and corporate greed. Every individual only represents a small part of the people rising up around the country and the world. We need to recognize that our strength comes from working together."
