How did the boycott affect YOU today?

[TygrBright]

I've been very interested in observing the boycott and its effects, given how much controversy there is over it as a strategy. In my experience there are only two ways for boycotts to be effective:

1. Short term: A short-term boycott is only REALLY effective if it is massive, highly visible to a broad cross-section of the greater population, and causes at least a small amount of real pain (i.e., loss of revenue, cost, severe inconvenience, etc.) to substantial numbers.

2. Long term: A long-term boycott is only REALLY effective if it is sustainable over an indefinite period, if it gains rather than loses momentum over time, and if the amount of pain it causes is substantial on a cumulative basis.

An ineffective boycott is worse, in some ways, than no boycott at all, because it demonstrates that while there is leadership and momentum, there is inadequate followership and will to pull it off. How do we judge today's boycott? Were you inconvenienced? Did it cause you to give up anything you didn't want to give up? Did you even "notice" it in the sense of having some evidence of it shoved under your nose today?

Here's my story:

Unexpectedly, someone I care about very much blew into town, no notice, around lunchtime, and contacted me: "Can we meet for lunch?" I eagerly said "Yes!" and mentioned an area where there is a cluster of four or five mid-price restaurants. One of them was closed due to the boycott. It probably would have been our first choice, but we were quite pleased to find that our second choice, a restaurant I'd never tried before, had wonderful food and good service, and I could put it on my list of "go back tos."

So. For me, here in Santa Fe, NM, it was noticeable, but not painful.

How about for you? Please include your locale with your story/response. If we can get a good number of responses from a good cross-section of the country, maybe we can get an idea of how effective the boycott has been in terms of average folks.

curiously,
Bright

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Didn't notice

The deli that makes my breakfast was fully staffed with Middle Easterners, South Asian and South American immigrants. I'm off to a different section of Brooklyn in a few minutes and will report if I see any difference there.

[partylessinOhio]

2. No effect on me in Northern Ohio, just outrage and disgust.

Would these people demonstrate, protest, and make demands in Mexico?

[LiberalVoice]

4. ummmm yes. nt

[Igel]

53. Yes, but would they make demands

in Mexico for immigrants in Mexico?

There were protests in Mexico, but what I heard was a slurry of pro-union/pro-strike/pro-regularization of Mexicans in the US/anti-Americanism/pro-reconquista rhetoric.

The pro-paleo-imperialist and pro-neocolonialist rhetoric lost me completely.

The pro-strike rhetoric carried some minor risk, but that's about all that did, and it plays well in an election year.

[Solo_in_MD]

16. They can't, they would be illegal there...

[Orangeone]

21. So it's an outrage

to protest an unfair American law in America? It's not about Mexico.

[IndianaGreen]

27. Many of those demonstrating are Americans, and not all from Mexico

Many undocumented aliens in the US come from places such as Ireland. Do their blue eyes make them more acceptable?

The real issue is that the Latino community is opposed to the Tancredo bill that the House passed and that the GOP is using as a last ditch effort to put some life in their elections prospects in November. Had Congress passed the McCain-Kennedy bill, you wouldn't be having these demonstrations.

[candice]

37. Forgot about it except when I saw CNN feed as part of my job...

I was surprised when NPR translated part of a speech in a sister demostration in Mexico City in which the woman said that Mexicans in the U.S. were merely taking back their own country by hard work.

[displacedtexan]

40. You'll probably see the effects later... in meat price hikes.

(Sorry for the thread jump, but I had to respond.)

Beef and poultry plants were at a stand still yesterday in Ohio (and
in many other states).

You don't think the corporations that own the plants, the trucking
companies that deliver the products to markets, or the grocery
store chain owners actually plan to eat the cost of yesterday's
shut down, do you?

And the meat plants are just one example of the hidden effects
of yesterday's protests.

It'll be easy to blame gasoline prices instead of work actions, but
we'll all pay the price for our slave-wage society one way or another.

[seriousstan]

3. Not at all.

[IndyJones]

5. Less traffic, less crowded stores. It was great!

I'm in San Diego. I've heard of but haven't seen restaurants closed.

I wonder what the net impact would be if next time they did it for say, a month and during that same period used no social services, either?

[madame defarge]

6. Here's how...

Had to give up my nanny, my butler, my gardener, my chauffeur, my chef, my massage, my manicure & pedicure appointment for the day...

Oh wait, I forgot...I'm an average middle-class 'murkin & I can't afford those things...

[bullimiami]

7. traffic was lighter than usual. otherwise nada.

[Roon]

8. The march in Denver affected me

I got stuck in traffic because of the marchers.

[DanCa]

9. Not at all but I am a shut in.

It did spark some interesting family conversations. Gawd I hate the way that the chimp has divided America.

[etherealtruth]

10. Though I live in an area with a significant immigrant population ...

I didn't even see a reduction in traffic and it didn't seem (as I drove by) that shopping centers were less full. The immigrants that I know did not seem to participate at all ?????

I was hoping for this day to have a big impact ... I am hoping in other areas (regions and cities that it did)

[Sammy Pepys]

11. Didn't notice.....

...but I haven't been out much today. But I did have an interesting conversation about it.

A guy I know who came here (legally) from Mexico several years ago gave me a call to chat on an unrelated topic. He wasn't at work, and I figured he might be particpating. When I asked him if he was boycotting and going to go to a protest, he replied rather curtly "No, give me a break...I've got better things to do...." And that was the last it was spoken of.

Shocked me a little, to say the least.

[trof]

12. nada

Didn't buy anything, except Miz t. had to have a broken tooth repaired this a.m.

[Robbien]

13. In this northern suburb of Chicago

there was very little traffic and all the faces I saw were white. It was wierd. Over here there is a huge Asian, Indian and Mid-Eastern population but all I saw today was white.

I didn't like it one bit.

[silverlib]

14. My husband's job shut down...

He's a carpenter and offered to stay home today in support of his Hispanic co-workers, but two said on Friday that they were coming in. He went to work, but none of his crew showed, so he came home. He didn't mind, but it did cost him a day's pay (there was nothing on the job at this point that he could do without a second person.) My office was short-staffed, but nothing we couldn't handle. One called in sick and the other had taken a planned vacation day. Both are Hispanic. I doubt the one on vacation took part in the protest, but I hope that the other one did. I think she was feared voicing an opinion.

I didn't go into downtown Austin today, so I don't know that affect. I live close to work, so traffic isn't bad for me on a bad day. The people that did work in my office today said there was a huge difference in lack of traffic on their way to work.

I hope this works. I can't say that the lost day's wages for my husband won't affect the family, but I'm more than willing to take the hit for a good cause.

My sixteen year old has an after-school job, so I won't know how the schools were affected until she gets home later.

[ronnykmarshall]

15. I've been at work, ate at my desk.

Haven't noticed anything yet. I'll see when I drive home.

[Solo_in_MD]

17. Not at all

[AndreaCG]

18. I boycotted except for my Metro card

which was expired and I wouldn't have been able to get home from work without buying a new one. 12+ miles too much to walk esp with a bum ankle.

I REALLY wanted to do Happy Hour but fought the temptation. Had a beer at home instead.

[valerief]

19. Ate at the office, wore a white tee shirt, didn't buy gas or shop

at any store.

Otherwise, it didn't affect my day. Maybe its outcome will, though.

[justabob]

20. Today was an interesting day

I work in a restaurant. All our line cooks, dishwashers, and bussers were at work as usual and things started as a fairly typical Monday. A couple of waiters no showed(not related to protests), but no biggie... Monday is not a hoppin' day in restaurant land. Well around 11:30 people started flooding in and we were crazy busy until 2:00. Several restaurants in our area were closed so we got their business. That wasn't the interesting part though.

I was so busy at one point that when I got a new table I explained I would be right with them and that we had a couple of waiters no show so we were running a little ragged today. (I hadn't been thinking at all about the protests et al). Well, these nice elderly ladies replied, "That's ok dear, we'd rather have someone like you wait on us anyway. We'll make sure you get a nice tip" (I am white) Now I know this kind of attitude is rampant, especially in the well heeled neighborhood where I work, but I was startled to hear it so brazenly spoken from perfect strangers with a kind of wink and nod. I was horrified.

Later I went to another restaurant where I am a regular, and talked to one of the owners and heard her stories of the day. They were crazy busy too and some of their locations around town had significant staffing problems (authentic Tex-Mex and about 95% latino employees). They also related stories of racism too. We've got a long way to go.

[Greyhound]

22. Not at all. Traffic was as bad as usual this morning, everything was open,

I'm sure there must have been a big march and demonstration, but it didn't come around where I work or live.

I just hope this doesn't backfire, we underestimate the meanness of the amerikan spirit.

[amandabeech]

23. Nothing going on in s. cen. PA. today.

All quiet here, but this is not a high-immigrant area. My co-worker who is from Turkey was in. The guy from the Philippines was in New York saying goodbye to some family members who were flying back today after a long visit.

[NativeTexan]

24. None in my part of Texas.

[texanwitch]

25. I live in Houston and was out and about all day, everything was open.

The traffic was terrible as always.

[tlsmith1963]

26. We Get a Lot of Mexicans...

who come up from Mexico to play in our casino. I noticed that there weren't very many of them today(May 1st), so it had an effect on us. I'm not mad at them because I don't like how people try to lump Mexicans in with terrorists. Terrorists kill, & Mexicans are just looking for work. I blame free trade for the illegal immigration problem, not the Mexicans. Free trade is hurting everyone in this region (except for the rich, of course). Instead of blaming Mexicans, why don't we put the blame where it belongs--on free trade. Either reform it so it benefits more people, or get rid of it.

[IndianaGreen]

28. All the Latino-owned businesses were closed today.

'Day Without Immigrants' impacts school attendance

Rich Van Wyk/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis, May 1, 2006 - Monday's immigrant boycott didn't stop at work. It reached all the way into inner-city schools. Indianapolis Public School administrators said the absence of Hispanic children was surprising and disturbing.

Empty desks told the story Monday as hundreds of inner-city Latino families kept their children home from school. At IPS 90, nearly one-third of the Spanish-speaking students - 80 of them - were absent.

"I wish they were here," said Principal Gregory McDermott.

While half of the nearly 500 children in the west side school are Hispanic, at IPS 90 there are children from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nigeria, Germany and China - about 47 different countries in all.

http://wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4844193

[Llewlladdwr]

29. Not very much.

Went to work as usual, everyone seemed to be there despite a large percentage of Hispanics on staff. Went to my favorite Mexican restaraunt for dinner and the place was bustling. Some of the smaller taquieras were closed but no impact to me there. Went to the mall after dinner and the crowds there were the same as always.

Can't say I find a 'day without immigrants' all that big a deal.

[0007]

30. Nada.

[greendog]

31. zero effect

I live in NW Montana and there are very few (less than 2%) people who aren't white or Native American. I saw three Mexican guys in work clothes eating lunch at a grocery store deli. I assume they were taking their lunch break and were working today.

[Minnesota Libra]

32. Actually it was a very educational day, I discovered the true impact.....

....of illegal aliens on our society or maybe I should say I discovered the impact illegal aliens did not have on society today.

With many of the illegal aliens demonstrating elsewhere they weren't helping clog traffic, that's for certain. Getting in and out of traffic was actually easy for once. :wow:

I purposely saved my shopping for today and found the stores were easier and faster to manuver through, although I was by far not the only shopper out there. Service in the resturant I had lunch at was even faster.

So I definitely think we should try this more often.

[LifeDuringWartime]

33. the mexican restaurant across the street was closed

they had a simple sign explaining why. i was glad they did what they did, but i didnt get to eat one of their incredible burritos... there's always tomorrow i guess ;)

the three other ethnic restaurants (japanese, thai, chinese) next to this place remained open.

[alfredo]

34. We didn't have anything going on in our town.

[Triana]

35. Nada (n/t)

[ebayfool]

36. It showed in ways mostly small, but noticeable.

We always get take-out for my birthday ( :party: ) from our favorite little Mexican food restaurant. It has been on local news all week that they would be closed down today - news listed a bunch of local businesses. We had decided that we'd just celebrate my b-day tomorrow ... no way I'm going elsewhere, these guys are part of our 'night out/celebration place' traditions. I'd rather wait! This afternoon my daughter & her boyfriend were coming home & saw they were open, so we called to find out what was going on. They said they had gotten 'calls' - but wouldn't elaborate other than to stress that they were strictly for American ideas! Couldn't get any more than that, but I'm pretty sure that someone(s) made sure they understood there would be some kind of repercussion if they closed down for the day.

And it pisses me off.

They are good people, they work their butts off, & built their place from the ground up over many years - the grandparents, parents, kids, cousins, the whole family is involved in a little 3 store chain. And I hate to think that they might have been intimidated.

But then I believe in that old freedom of speech/pursuit of liberty thing ... apparently others around here don't!

The local Von's market let some of their employees go home early - we heard them talking @ it in the parking lot. Traffic was lighter in my area, but don't know @ the rest of town. And there was a huge turnout for the protest at Beach Park, which is still going on at 10:00 PM. The local high school put out recorded phone calls to let us know that any kid that didn't show up for school today would be reported as truant, but I don't know what the attendance was today.

This is in Bakersfield, CA - a very red part of California, w/a very large immigrant population ... both legal & not.


We did go & get our take-out, btw ... I wanted to show these people some support, too! The protests need support as well, but no one's thinking much @ the small Mexican owned businesses that are in the middle. I might be wrong, but it felt right to me.

[DeaconBlues]

38. not at all n/t

[Nadienne]

39. No affect here, sorry.

Some of the Tyson factories closed for this, but not mine. From what I hear, supervisors and managers weren't allowed to give anyone the day off for any rallies. Considering how things have been going I really would have been surprised if anyone had skipped out to go to participate.

[RebelOne]

41. Didn't affect me in the least. In fact, the traffic was lovely.

I'm northwest of Atlanta and work in Marietta, next door to Atlanta. Usually, the afternoon rush hour is brutal. Yesterday, I got home in record time.

[LWolf]

42. 50% of my hispanic students stayed home.

Including one young man who never misses a day, is tireless in his efforts to succeed, and stands as the English speaker for his mom, who works 2 1/2 jobs.

I'm told that a couple of smaller stores closed due to lack of staffing.

[MelliMel]

43. No effect at all but then again

I don't eat at most restaurants nor was it on the radar at the schools my kids attend to ditch for the day.

[magnolia]

44. The boycott effected me internally.

The immigration situation is complicated and I don't know what the answer is...but I am in awe of these people having the courage to take it to the street in such large numbers.

We have an administration who is lying, stealing and killing...yet we sit back in our comfy little nests whining about it on our computers! Why aren't we taking it to the streets?

The people protesting yesterday live quietly, with few rights, do our dirty work for very little money. Yet they had the courage to take a day off work to show the government what it would be like without illegal immigrants.

How many have the courage to take a day off from your job and show our government what it's like without the working class! And then to take it to the streets and say to Bush, "Here's what we think of your GREAT economy!"

[-..__...]

45. There was a boycott/walk out yesterday?

I sure didn't notice any of the Asian/Chinese/Vietnamese, Mid-eastern, Indian/Pakistani, Russian/Slavic,
Greek, Armenian, etc business' closed. Maybe they weren't invited?

[acmavm]

46. Here in Omaha they say a couple of thousand marched.

Where I don't know.

That's how much it affected me (and pretty much 97% of the population here).

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

47. I live in a country where May 1 is a national holiday

and that's how things should be.

[AllieB]

48. The usual folks that wait on me weren't at Starbucks

one is from Brazil and one is from Moldova.

[lynne]

49. Little to No Impact about 40 minutes from DC -

- traffic was a bit lighter during rush hours. My office was busier because we seemed to have MORE hispanic clients coming through the doors. (I thought they were going to stay home??) And I noticed that the mall parking lot was PACKED later in the evening.

Seems to me like they stayed home and then went shopping.

[Nikia]

50. I didn't notice anything

The few Hispanics that work at our company came to work as usual. I don't think that they are illegal anyway.
Other than that, I didn't really notice anything. The shopping center that I drove past on the way home seemed to being doing business as usua. I picked up McDonald's later on which had a wait at the drive through, but it looked like they had a full staff of employees.
In Wisconsin, the protests were only in the big cities.

[The Straight Story]

51. There was a boycott today????

I went to the dentist today - a legal immigrant from pakistan. He was there with his staff (as always) and took awesome care of me. We talked as always about life in general, work, and travel (he likes my cowboy hat).

I drove by two of our favorite Mexican food places and they were bustling as usual as well (they are on the way home from dentist).

[Virginian]

52. Herndon Tuesday Election

I don't live in the town of Herndon, but those who do had an election for town council today.

The candidates in favor of the Day Labor Site were all voted out and candidates who opposed the Day Labor pickup site were voted in.

I suppose some of it was backlash from yesterday and some of it was "Don't Sneak into my house and demand rights." This was the first election since the contentious debate over establishing the Day Labor Site.

[slackmaster]

54. Traffic on the freeways was lighter than usual for a Monday

I can't say whether that was the result of the boycott, or just people taking May 1 off work (as many do every year).

[riona]

55. Every place we went was open and well staffed

Seemed like a typical Monday