FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2012
CONTACT:
Medea Benjamin, 415-235-6517, medea[at]codepink.org
Alli McCracken, 860-575-5692, alli[at]codepink.org
Follow @codepink
WHAT: CODEPINK Protest The National Republican Senatorial Committee, Aflac, BCBS and Chevron's welcome event
WHEN: 7:15pm, August 26, 2012
WHERE: The Cuban Club, 2010 Republica de Cuba (14th Ave) Ybor City, FL 33605
VISUALS: Billionaire costumes, signs, Chevron corporate logos
Tampa,
FL— CODEPINK will protest outside of the RNC welcoming event hosted by
several large corporations, including Chevron, in a blatant display of
the undemocratic relationship between money, politics, and corporations.
CODEPINK activists will dress as billionaires to parody the leading
executives of Chevron and other companies that have profited handsomely
from government subsidies.
“By
using massive amounts of money to influence politics, whether it's
through campaign contributions or funding lavish parties at the
Republican National Convention, Chevron is unabashedly showing off the
financial stake it has in the political arena,” said Jodie Evans,
CODEPINK co-founder. “From the recent explosion of a Chevron refinery
in Richmond, California, to the ongoing US wars for oil, it's clear that
this dinosaur industry harms America.”
As
Bloomberg noted, a popular 2008 GOP convention slogan was “Drill, Baby,
Drill” and this time around the message from Big Oil is “Fund, Baby,
Fund.” Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and others in the national gas industry
have contributed an estimated $55 million to finance the RNC. Chevron
alone gave $250,000 to the Tampa Host Committee. “Corporate money
corrupts our political system,” said Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK
co-director. “It's no wonder that our country continues to push for war
and occupation in the Middle East and deprioritizes clean, safe,
renewable energy funding.”
For the latest photos of CODEPINK at the RNC protests see here: www.codepink.org/rncphotos
See videos here: www.codepink.org/rncvideos
Read latest news here: www.codepink.org/rncnews
CODEPINK,
founded in 2002, is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social
justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and
redirect our resources into health care, education and other
life-affirming activities. www.codepink.org
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