BRILLIANT Home Depot protest: protesters in Monrovia, CA are buying 17 cent ICE scrappers and returning them instantly

[Sympthsical]

33. Ok, but what has Home Depot actually done here?

I'm a little confused. The article states:

George Lane, manager of corporate communications for Home Depot, said in an email to The Times that “we are not coordinating with ICE or Border Patrol, and we’re not involved in the operations. We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and often, we don’t know operations have taken place until they’re over.

My impression is that ICE targets Home Depot parking lots, because that is where (mainly Latino) day laborers congregate. That is certainly my experience in California and other states. But ICE swooping into the parking lot to have a go at what they think is a target rich environment isn't the same as the company itself taking steps.

If anything, day laborers in the parking lot help Home Depot. People looking for workers are also going to pick up materials while there. Given how synonymous Home Depot has become with the practice, I imagine their financial interest was to turn a blind eye to whatever was happening out in the lot. Which would be the opposite of assisting the Trump administration.

This seems . . . unfocused. I read the article with some protesters' rationales, but it isn't convincing. Like this:

“Day laborers do want people to come out to shop so they can get work,” Andiola said. “This was the way for us to still impact their business and at the same time, give the message that they need to get ICE out of their stores.”

I guess I just don't understand the desire to affect customers and the business. Home Depot has always been really chill about day laborers. ICE isn't in their stores. They're swooping into the parking lots.

I see all kinds of social media accusations that Home Depot is "colluding" with ICE somehow, but I haven't seen any real evidence of it. Just assertions that it's happening. Sounds like people want a target for their anger. They can't affect Trump, but they can go down the street and find a store to be angry at.

I dunno. Activism should have obtainable goals. Activism for the sake of activisting can devolve into futile masturbatory posturing. This Home Depot stuff feels more in that vein. They've bothered customers and sent the company a message that maybe they should be more mindful of what's going on in their parking lots.

Which would seem to veer towards the opposite outcome of what people like Ms. Andiola say they want.