Shaking up Coke in Charlotte, N.C.

I decided that since the current situation is so dire for our brothers and sisters in Colombia, I’d go ahead and picket a local Coke office here in Charlotte, N.C., on May 25.

Several minutes after arriving, I was holding a “Coca-Cola Kills In Colombia” sign when two men approached me from the Coca-Cola building. One knew my name, which means the police gave it to them, and introduced himself as a police officer (which turned out to be a lie). They began questioning me about the truth of my sign. I explained to them that Coca-Cola hires paramilitaries in Colombia to murder, torture and kidnap union leaders and their families.

They asked me if I had proof. I said yes, it’s documented by the Colombian union leaders, human-rights organizations and journalists. I told them to see the killercoke.org web site.

They told me: “Well, it’s not us. We’re the bottler. We’re a different company.”

I said, “Yes, but the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. pays a percentage of its profit to the Coca-Cola Enterprise. You could use your considerable influence to persuade Coke to stop killing and issue a public statement that you don’t agree with Coke killing people in Colombia.”

They told me I didn’t know what I was talking about. They wanted to know if the media were coming.

The men asked if I planned to stay at the corner and I replied that I did. They told me there was a cutoff on the public sidewalk that I could not cross. They were particularly worried about me protesting near their fancy fountain; the office is located in the upscale South Park area.

I told them that I could demonstrate anywhere on the sidewalk.

I got a positive reaction from a lot of people going by. I was cheered on by some passing Latin@s. Several people stopped to ask what was going on. They listened and took a copy of Workers World with a feature article on Colombia. Another man told me he had just left Coke and they were definitely taking notice.

I got some negative reactions from some of the Coke executives. One guy in a fancy car and suit shouted a curse at me. One also returned with a friend. They were patrolling the perimeter and stop ped by to taunt me. They said: “Are you thirsty? Do you want me to get you a Coke?”

Coca-Cola was freaking out about one guy with a sign. They really don’t want anybody to know about their role in Colombia. The problem was not that what I was saying about Coca-Cola might be true but that I was bringing it to the public’s attention.

There will definitely be future actions at Coke, and other events to educate the public about what’s going on in Colombia. The Boycott Killer Coke-Charlotte For Colombia Campaign has been born. Email: [email protected] to stay informed about this campaign and get involved.

Boycott killer Coke!

—David Dixon
Action Center for Justice
(local IAC affiliate)
Charlotte, N.C.