Movement targeting major retailers makes its way to Pittsburgh
It's something you may have seen on Facebook or Instagram over the past few days. People have been posting about an "economic blackout" taking place Friday around Pittsburgh.
It's some kind of call to inaction, if you will. The people behind it are asking people not to pull out their carts and buy anything at major retailers Friday.
But as for why? That's not necessarily uniform.
Tim Stevens is hoping he and others can make an impact. "Let's make a dent in the economic structure of America today," he said.
Stevens' group, B-PEP, is endorsing Friday's national economic blackout.
"We do not buy from any major corporation or company today," he said.
This planned pause of spending all started earlier this February.
John Schwarz posted a video that's since garnered millions of views calling for a blackout on Friday, February 28, he says he thought of today as a chance to cause an "economic resistance."
"The economy does not belong to the rich it belongs to us," Schwarz said.
He did not point out specific companies, but some people have.
People like Stevens are also targeting places like Target and McDonalds for rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
"We have civil rights champions that are in their graves right now," he said. "If they were able to roll around in their graves, they would be rolling big time right now."
Some have encouraged only shopping at small businesses on Friday. Not all small business owners are endorsing this though.
"I don't think it's right to hurt someone else to help us," Bill Sunseri, President of Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, said. "They may be just trying to hurt the big vendor, the box store, but it will hurt us too."
Some experts do not believe this will make the economic dent Tim Stevens is hoping for. He's not stopping the push.
"If the statement's not powerful enough, we can try it again and I'm sure we will," he said.
Schwarz and his group, The People's Union USA, have another big blackout planned for April. There are also numerous ones planned throughout the next few months.
The next event is a weeklong Amazon boycott in March.
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