New York Times Comments on the
OCA's Starbucks Campaign

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/27/national/27PROT.html?searchpv=nytToday

September 27, 2001
THE ADVOCATES
Much of the Policy Criticism Aimed at U.S. Turns Muted
By ANDREW POLLACK

Early in September, Oxfam, the British humanitarian organization, was
circulating a petition calling on the United States to "put health before
wealth" by supporting relaxation of international patent policies that Oxfam
says make vital medicines too expensive for developing countries.

But immediately after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon, the petition was removed from Oxfam's Web site. When it
returned last week, the cartoon drawing of Uncle Sam had been replaced
with a picture of a bottle of pills, and the language singling out the United
States had been muted. The group also canceled a news conference at which
it had planned to denounce the United States for its patent stance.

"It was not appropriate given the kind of national trauma that was occurring
here," said Severina Rivera, a senior policy adviser at Oxfam America in
Washington.

Since the terrorist attacks, many other advocacy groups have been canceling
planned actions as well, or have toned down oratory that could be perceived
as insensitive or even unpatriotic.

The Sierra Club has removed the "W Watch" column from its Web site because
it could be perceived as critical of President Bush. It has also stopped its
phone solicitations and pulled advertising from the air. The A.F.L.-C.I.O.,
the Mobilization for Global Justice and many other groups canceled plans to
protest at the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary
Fund. The bank and fund later canceled their meetings, which were scheduled
for the end of this month in Washington.

Friends of the Earth let the one- year anniversary of its discovery of
unauthorized genetically modified corn in the food supply pass without even
a news release. "No one's interested in gene-altered corn right now," said
Mark Helm, a spokesman for the organization.

Even if activists are broadcasting their messages, few people seem to be
listening. "What we find is a blackout on coverage and attention to
activism," said Asia Russell, a member of Act Up Philadelphia, which has
been campaigning to have lower priced drugs available to treat AIDS in
Africa.

Some groups fear that if they are perceived as unpatriotic it will hurt them
in the long run. "We strongly need to avoid any perceptions that we are
being disrespectful to President Bush," Allen Mattison, director for media
relations at the Sierra Club, wrote in an internal memorandum. "Now is the
time for rallying together as a nation; the public will judge very harshly
any groups whom they view as violating this need for unity."

But several activists say they are concerned that the self-restraint,
especially as expressed in the Sierra Club memorandum, has gone too far.

"This self-censorship is dangerous in itself," said Kristin Dawkins,
director of the globalism program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy in Minneapolis, which is critical of the influence of multinational
corporations on agriculture. "It allows some of the very, very dangerous
policies that the Bush administration is pursuing this very minute to go
forward unchecked."

Environmental groups say they are concerned that some proponents of
opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling are pushing their
cause using the prospect of energy disruptions from a possible war. Some
human rights groups, while dropping their usual causes, are starting campaigns
to oppose any rush toward war and steps that they perceive would erode
domestic civil liberties in the name of counterterrorism.

Ms. Rivera of Oxfam, a lawyer who normally deals with trade issues, has
shifted abruptly to analyzing international laws regarding military
responses. "We have a position urging military restraint," she said.

The International Action Center in New York had been planning a march in
Washington on Saturday against the International Monetary Fund and World
Bank. But with the financial meetings canceled, the group says it will now
have an antiwar demonstration in Washington the same day, said Teresa
Gutierrez, a national co-director.

She dismissed concerns that such demonstrations would be unpopular. "We
went to the vigils at Union Square with some caution and sensitivity and found
there was no problem in handing out antiwar fliers," she said.

Some groups are continuing with their campaigns. The Organic Consumers
Association went ahead last week with planned leafleting outside Starbucks
outlets to protest the use of genetically modified ingredients and to
promote the sale of coffee grown by people earning what the association said
was a decent wage.

Ronnie Cummins, national director of the association, said about 20 of 300
volunteers nationwide postponed distributing the leaflets.

Mr. Cummins said he received one irate e-mail message "from somebody who
said it was a shame and why didn't we move to Afghanistan." But he added
that his volunteers said that Wall Street resumed business "and so did our
criticism of corporate behavior."