Chicago Protest Flop

BLACK FRIDAY BOYCOTT AND BLOCKADE? NO BIG DEAL, Only 1/2 of those promising to protest with Black Lives Matter showed up, 11/26/16

A Black Lives Matter protest scheduled on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping area on Friday gathered a few hundred people, about half of those who had signed up and smaller than last year’s crowd.

The gathering estimated at 250 people irritated some shoppers and took the edge off of some stores’ income but did little else, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

“Oh, come on, these people don’t even know what they want. I refuse to ruin my day by not coming down here because these people are here,” shopper Kathy Ahillen of Barrington, Illinois, told the paper.

Chicago police spread out in the shopping area and linked arms to prevent protesters from moving directly into store doorways. In return, protesters linked arms to try to keep shoppers away, with some success.

Maureen Dugan of Lake Forest, Illinois, was on the Magnificent Mile to buy a silver Irish shamrock for her granddaughter’s confirmation, the newspaper said. “They are so ridiculous,” she said of the protesters. “ The election is over. Respect the office of the president,” Dugan said, clutching her Tiffany bag.

In “Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America,” Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson – a true black leader whom many affectionately call “the other Jesse” – shows how the civil rights establishment has made a lucrative career out of keeping racial strife alive in America.

The protesters want changes in the criminal justice system after Chicago police fatally shot three people within the last seven days, the newspaper said. At about 10 a.m., only about half of the 500 who promised to be there appeared.

“The protest in part was aimed at denouncing the city’s implementation of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, COPA, instead of a version preferred by protesters. That alternative watchdog, dubbed the Civilian Police Accountability Council, would be made up of members elected by the public,” the newspaper said. A few scuffles erupted between demonstrators and police, the report said.

At Western Journalism, a report pointed out that last year protesters blocked access to Apple, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republican, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Saks Fifth Avenue and other stores. It said that this year the media reported the crowd was between dozens and about 150 at the outset.

“Many Michigan Avenue retailers reported their Black Friday sales were 25-50 percent lower than anticipated as a result of last year’s protest,” the report said.

It quoted Sarah Midoun of Aldo Shoes: “We were down a lot. We were budgeted to make $37,000 but we only did $19,000. Customers told us they were concerned.”

The report a helicopter for Fox Business Network captured footage of protesters gathering Friday morning at a nearby cathedral showing a significantly lower turnout.

The DailyWire reported the goal of the event was to stop customers from reaching “white-owned business” entrances. The local Black Lives Matter, local churches and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression wanted to prevent shoppers from reaching stores that were not owned by “people of color and women,” the report said. “One of the cornerstones about why we’re boycotting on Black Friday is to attempt to redirect people to businesses owned by people of color and women, and explain why it’s important to patronize these businesses,” said Black Lives Matter leader Kimberly Veal.

In “Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America,” Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson – a true black leader whom many affectionately call “the other Jesse” – shows how the civil rights establishment has made a lucrative career out of keeping racial strife alive in America.

http://www.wnd.com/2016/11/black-friday-boycott-no-big-deal/