Following the murder of Trayvon Martin Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law has fallen out of favor with many people and for that reason Coca Cola has decided to back out of a conservative group in the state that supports the law.
The American Legislative Exchange Council supports plenty of other initiatives such as pro-business legislation and perhaps the equally unpopular voter ID laws that the state is trying to push onto minorities and poor people, however it’s the stand your ground law that Coca Cola has problems with.
According to a Coke rep who spoke with NPR :
“We have a longstanding policy of not taking positions on issues that don’t have a direct bearing on our company or on our industry.”
The move by Coca Cola representatives comes just after online movement ColorOfChange.org urged the company to abandon the conservative organization over its voter ID stance. According to the ColorOfChange website:
“You can’t come for black folks’ money by day and try to take away our vote by night.” s
Coke is three months behind Pepsi which abandoned the group for unknown reasons although its likely that Pepsi abandoned the organization because it has come under fire by various political and corporate leaders who have questioned ALEC’s policies.
In a climate where many American’s are angry at politics as usual groups that follow those same political guidelines are being abandoned at record rates. In the age of social media a company that alienates users faces negative spin campaigns that they simply can’t afford during a time of economic hardship.
