On a sweltering Saturday, nearly 100 people gathered for a rally and march in Culver City, delivering a message to several major media companies: Help us protect our democracy.
Drawing attention to Sony Pictures Studios, Apple, Pinterest and Amazon MGM Studios, which all have local offices, the protesters demanded that the companies sign the “Business for Democracy Pledge” ahead of the elections in November.
After listening to several speakers speak outside Culver City City Hall, the group of demonstrators marched toward the Sony Pictures Studios offices a few blocks away. From there, they walked past posters for Sony’s upcoming movie “The Social Reckoning” and headed back to downtown Culver City to stand in front of the historic Culver Studios, now owned by Amazon MGM.
Local groups Culver City and Friends Rising and Keep Showing Up led the protests. This week, they sent letters to senior executives of all four companies asking them to sign commitments. No response received. (Messages sent by The Times to spokespeople for the four companies were not responded to.)
Phil Ansell, leader of Culver City and Friends Rising, said before the rally: “Businesses, which are our focus today, and especially large corporations like Sony, Apple, Pinterest and Amazon, have a special role to play in defending democracy.” “They have weight, and this administration cares about what the business community says.”
He added: “We have seen internationally that where democracy is threatened, business championing democracy can make a huge difference in preventing a full slide into authoritarianism.”
Culver City Deputy Mayor Bryan “Bubba” Fish was on hand as a featured speaker, noting that Culver City, a relatively small community that is home to the offices of numerous international media companies, is uniquely positioned to help ensure residents’ voices are heard.
“The message of this event is that these large corporations, the largest and richest corporations in the history of the planet, are taking advantage of our civilized society,” Fish said before the rally. “…The only reason they can get this big is because we have a stable, legitimate government, and they have to be committed to defending and speaking out, at least when our elections and our democracy are at risk. That has to be the basis.”
“We are here to say that you are part of our community, that you stand for free and fair elections, and that you stand with us to defend democracy,” Fish said.
Demonstrators march to the offices of Sony Pictures Studios and pass posters for the upcoming Sony movie “The Social Reckoning.”
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The Rev. Dr., pastor of Culver City Presbyterian Church. Frances Wattman Rosenau spoke outside both Sony and Amazon MGM.
“Democracy is one of our core values as a country, and as a person of faith, I care deeply about giving voice to the voiceless and ensuring that no one is marginalized,” Rosenau said as he walked from place to place. “And inviting our partners to join us is an act of partnership. Now is the time for everyone to be in the boat and row, to affirm what we stand for as a people for the common good.”
The Culver City event is one of a series of events being held across the country this week in collaboration with the group May Day Strong. Representatives of other local activist groups, including PowerSwitch Action, National Nurses United and Singing Resistance Santa Monica, also attended the meeting Saturday.
Amy Schur, campaign director for the Californians Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACCE), is involved in coordinating the national campaign for the “Business for Democracy” pledge.
“We are in a unique moment where people are standing up of their own accord all over the country,” Schur said. “People see what’s at stake. That’s why they’re ready to march and speak out.”
Schur noted that there is a lot of work to be done to harness this energy and turn it into real change.
“The critical question is, can we do this in strategic ways and create the impact we need right now?” he said. “Just marches are not enough because it is easy to ignore them. But when it is a march that has a purpose and appeals to big companies, its impact is greater.”
The march in Culver City was one of many across the country this week.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Ansell noted that companies such as Apple and Amazon raised their voices after the uprising on January 6, 2021 and hope they continue in the same spirit.
“We’re here today to say don’t expect the equivalent of January 6 to happen again,” Ansell said. “Commit yourself now to publicly opposing any effort to undermine this election. And our view is that to the extent that many major corporations in this country adopt this public stance, it will significantly reduce the risk of a major effort to subvert this election.”
Organizers see Saturday’s protest as part of an ongoing effort and hope more people will feel empowered to participate.
“People are not alone,” Ansell said. “No one should feel like they have to stay home alone and despair. There are many opportunities for action and we must be prepared. Today’s action is one of many to defend this election.”