Immigrant advocates take to streets in Target’s hometown

By Jon Collins
Thursday, August 05, 2010 at 2:20 pm

Image adopted by groups urging a boycott of Target.

Since news broke that Target gave $150,000 to a group that supports Republican candidate for governor Tom Emmer, who the Minnesota Independent linked to anti-gay groups and legislation, gay rights supporters have threatened boycotts and protests against the company. Now advocates for immigrants are adding their voices to the fray, with a protest outside the Minneapolis Lake Street Target planned for this afternoon.

Nick Espinosa, an organizer for Boycott Arizona Minnesota (BAM!), a group that opposes the Arizona law SB 1070, told the Minnesota Independent that the protest sought to highlight Emmer’s anti-immigrant stances, including support for the Arizona law and an English-only ordinance in Lino Lakes.

“He’s consistently attacked the immigrant and Latino communities in Minnesota,” Espinosa told the Minnesota Independent. “He’s written some pretty extreme bills including an English-only bill and [...] a bill to take away pre-natal care for undocumented women.”

The protest is organized by immigrant advocates, but BAM! is coordinating with gay rights and other groups offended by Target’s donations. Espinosa said the protest is an attempt to bridge growing opposition to the company from gay rights supporters, immigrant advocates, minimum wage workers and people concerned about the role of money in politics. Organizers plan to bring four Cinco de Mayo–style skeleton puppets to represent each of these issues.

“We’ll have them represent the four issues at hand,” Espinosa said. “The four political skeletons in Target’s closet coming out and asking that they take responsibility for them.”

BAM! is considering whether to join the nationwide boycott against Target, spurred by MoveOn.org. But for now, their goal is to inform members of immigrant and Latino communities, many of whom live in the area of south Minneapolis around Target, about Emmer’s stances.

“Oftentimes it’s hard for the average person to figure out all the connections that are happening behind the scenes in Capitol Hill and over in St. Paul at the Capitol,” Espinosa said. “This is a story we can tell between a corporation that everyone’s familiar with and money being funnelled to a politician whose views are completely contrary to many of its customers.”

Target was founded in Minneapolis in 1902 as Dayton Dry Goods Company.

UPDATE: BAM! released this statement reacting to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel’s apology:

While CEO Gregg Steinhafel wrote employees to say the discount
retailer was “genuinely sorry” over the way a $150,000 contribution to
MN Forward donation played out, no real steps to correct the situation
have taken place.

It’s not out of the ordinary for a political contribution to ask for a
contribution to be returned…. As an expression of respect for its
customers, and other national groups have requested that Target should
ask for its money back.

Sorry doesn’t cut it! We want action!

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