Published: 04/06/2021 3:27:27 PM
GREENFIELD – Local activists Joseph “JJ” White and Al Norman, and others who are unhappy with Home Depot’s financial support to lawmakers who backed the controversial electoral law signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp last week , will gather at the entrance of the local store on Route 2 on Wednesday to demonstrate their opposition.
In a press release, White and Norman, both from Greenfield, said they would be accompanied by others from 2 p.m. to hold signs and urge people to boycott the retailer. Norman tells people to call Home Depot at 800-466-3337.
“People should call to tell the company to start repealing the electoral repression law,” Norman said.
“I’m a Home Depot customer and shop there two or three times a week,” White said in the press release. “By demonstrating and joining the boycott, we want to show Home Depot that customers in Franklin County, Massachusetts, are interested in voting rights in Georgia and across America.”
Voting advocates say the law disproportionately disenfranchises color voters. The law includes new restrictions on postal voting and greater legislative control over the conduct of elections.
CNBC has reported that Atlanta-based Home Depot has given Governor Kemp and the lawmakers who sponsored the bill at least $ 30,000. The company wouldn’t confirm whether it will continue to support lawmakers backing the new electoral law, and Newsweek reports that Home Depot hasn’t directly addressed the controversial electoral law itself.
Norman said anyone wishing to join Wednesday’s protest should bring a sign, wear a mask and stand at least three feet away from others. He said Massachusetts State Police had been notified of the Route 2 protest and said it was “okay” as long as the protesters did not disrupt traffic or pose a hazard.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.
