Parkland, Florida school shooting activist David Hogg has the popular Florida-based Publix grocery store chain in his crosshairs after it was reported Publix is supporting pro-NRA Adam Putnam for Florida governor.
Putnam, currently Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, is from the same county where Publix is based and has received campaign support from Publix throughout his decades-long political career.
On Wednesday Hogg announced a ‘die-in’ at Publix stores for Friday at 4 p.m. EDT. Yesterday he added a demand for a $1 million donation to the Stoneman Douglas Victims Fund and a promise to not support candidates with NRA ‘A’ ratings.
Early Friday morning Hogg staged a pre-die-in die-in for the cameras.
Early this morning @davidhogg111 teamed up with @ChangeTheRef to create an art instillation outside of @publix in protest of the corporation and their support of Adam Putnam. 17 chalk outlines in multiple parking spots were drawn and wrapped in caution tape. #msd #neveragain pic.twitter.com/043cC2o6kA
— Emilee McGovern (@EmileeRose) May 25, 2018
Since the February 14 massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Hogg, who recently turned 18, has become a boycott bully, targeting businesses, states and conservative media personalities with boycotts and threats to ruin stock market values.
“Guess I’ll be getting my chocolate chip muffins elsewhere from now on. Common @Publix”
Guess I’ll be getting my chocolate chip muffins elsewhere from now on. Common @Publix https://t.co/uSVso4nzLh
— David Hogg ☮️ (@davidhogg111) May 15, 2018
“.@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.”
.@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
“I call on @Publix to donate double the money they gave to Putman (sic) to the Stoneman Douglas Victims fund, $1,000,000. And never support an A rated NRA politician again.”
I call on @Publix to donate double the money they gave to Putman to the Stoneman Douglas Victims fund, $1,000,000. And never support an A rated NRA politician again.
— David Hogg ☮️ (@davidhogg111) May 24, 2018
Hogg’s wrath against Publix was provoked by a May 15 article by the Tampa Bay Times headlined, Publix is supporting Adam Putnam’s run for governor like no politician before; No other Florida candidate comes close to the type of monetary help Putnam is getting from Florida’s largest private employer.
The Florida supermarket giant Publix has given more money to Adam Putnam’s gubernatorial bid than any other candidate since at least 1995 and likely for the entirety of the company’s history.
Publix, the heirs to the company’s founder and its current and former leaders have given Putnam $670,000 in the last three years — or enough money to buy 74,527 chicken tender subs.
…Putnam, like Publix, is a product of Polk County. He hails from Bartow, just 20 minutes from Publix’s headquarters in Lakeland — which company officials say is a factor in their support for him.
“As the hometown candidate, Publix has had a long-standing relationship with Commissioner Putnam,” spokesman Brian West said. “We support pro-business candidates, and believe Commissioner Putnam will make a great governor.”
Publix has backed Putnam since his first race as a 22-year-old, a successful campaign for state House of Representatives in 1996. It wrote Putnam a check for $500, according to state records.”…
The Times article goes on to describe a controversy as Putnam, as Agriculture Commissioner in 2016, changed the way health inspection reports are graded after several Publix stores in the Tampa area received failing grades.
Hogg has mixed results from his boycott campaigns. Several companies and sponsors abandoned the NRA and Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham, but Ingraham kept her show and reportedly increased her audience. Hogg threatened to ruin FedEx’s stock if they didn’t drop an affiliation with the NRA, however Fed Ex refused and its stock was unaffected.
The media deployed helicopters to cover the Publix protest.
#PUBLIX #PROTESTS #NRA – @davidhogg111 @MichaelRajner and others are staging a "die-in" at the #CoralSprings @Publix – @CBSMiami chopper on scene. pic.twitter.com/KScCbEUI4n
— CBS4 Assignment Desk (@CBS4NEWSDESK) May 25, 2018
