Floyd

Tech CEOs decry racial injustice amid George Floyd protests: Tech

By Tommy Flemm 2 years ago

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

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MINNEAPOLIS , MINNESOTA – JUNE 01: Two girls with fist raised pay their respects at the makeshift memorial for George Floyd at intersection in front Cup Foods where Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on Monday, June 1, 2020 in Minneapolis , Minnesota. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Tech CEOs decry racial injustice amid George Floyd protests: Amid the chaos, companies and their executives have been pressured to stand up and speak out against systemic racism and police brutality, and show allyship for their Black colleagues. Salesforce, Twitter and Apple were among the first to issue public statements. Overall, chief executives struck an empathetic tone, many acknowledged the power and reach

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Taser maker plays a big role in training police amid the George Floyd protests: CEO

By Tommy Flemm 2 years ago

Rick Smith — who founded the company formerly known as Taser in 1993 but now known as Axon — acknowledges the embedded problems in this country with policing and hopes to play a key role in developing solutions.

No doubt those problems were on full display in the senseless murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police in late May. And they have continued in the wake of the Floyd’s death in the form of police hitting oftentimes peaceful protestors with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. In some cases, tasers have come out in force.

“We have a big role to play in providing the tools and technology backbone for much of police training. And we think there’s a huge role for us to play in helping introduce new ways to train police to really squash out some of the behaviors that we saw that I think everybody agrees

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Netflix, Disney join other big brands in support of George Floyd protests on ‘Blackout Tuesday’

By Tommy Flemm 2 years ago

Hollywood is voicing its support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which manifested itself online Tuesday via a viral social media campaign.

The initiative, referred to as “Blackout Tuesday,” circulated widely among platforms. Originated by leading names in the music industry as a day to “disconnect from work and reconnect with our community,” the movement quickly spread across social media with multiple brands, along with individual accounts, posting a black square in solidarity.

The “Blackout” movement was adopted by prominent entertainment and media companies, as protests over the death of George Floyd continue to rage throughout the nation. Netflix (NFLX) was one of the first entertainment giants to issue a statement on the matter.

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Nike’s social media engagement soars after its response to the death of George Floyd

By Tommy Flemm 2 years ago

Whether it’s supporting former NFL star and social activist Colin Kaepernick, rethinking the symbolism of the Betsy Ross flag on a sneaker, or its recent “Just don’t do it!” statement condemning the death of George Floyd — Nike continues call the right play on social justice issues. 

According to data analytics firm Thinknum, Nike’s (NKE) ‘Don’t turn your back on racism’ social media campaign is its most successful social justice effort to date. The firm tracked Nike’s Facebook (FB) mentions, which showed that the brand’s “chatter” on the social network spiked the weekend following the release of its campaign.

“Nike chatter shot to multi-year highs in recent days, even as looters pillaged some of its retail locations. … Nearly 800,000 people – triple its usual chatter – were talking about Nike on the social network, and it’s a figure that could yet rise in days to come,” according to

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3 ways civil unrest following George Floyd nationwide protests hurts the stock market

By Tommy Flemm 2 years ago

The nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have rocked an already fragile corporate America reeling from the financial losses caused by the coronavirus economic shutdown. 

The shattering of storefronts and destruction of business property in major cities including Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta have caused some major retailers to pull back on plans to slowly get back to normal and reopen stores.

Over the weekend, Target, Walmart, and Apple moved to reduce store hours and shut hundreds of stores in response to protests.

The effects of the civil unrest is a “potentially negative development for stocks,” according to RBC Capital Markets. Current headlines about mayhem, violence, and many businesses damaged or set on fire in major U.S. cities could hurt stocks because of the S&P 500’s propensity to fall steeply in reaction to negative news. 

Shattered window and door glass is scattered

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