Carl Lewis, Spike Lee, Donald Trump, Sarah Ferguson, and the rest of Nike's stable of athletes endorsers and other famous people present at the opening were no more receptive to taking leaflets than was Phil Knight, CEO of Nike. They apparently don't want to know where their money is coming from.
Vietnamese Americans and UNITE protest Nike
from Campaign for Labor Rights
October 30, 1996. What was to have been the opening celebration for a new Nike Town store in midtown Manhattan today turned into an inquest of Nike's overseas labor policies.
A crowd estimated at 100 people protested and passed out leaflets in front of the new Nike outlet at 57th Street and 5th Avenue in New York City. At times, Nike aficionados and paid personalities found it difficult to get in or out of the store because of the crowd of protesters.
A contingent of 75 people from UNITE came over to the Nike demonstration for an hour, taking time out from their own action at a nearby Guess outlet. [See other Campaign for Labor Rights alerts on the Guess campaign.] Look for more involvement in the Nike campaign by organized labor in the U.S. and Canada.
Another significant element in the Nike demonstration was a contingent of 30 Vietnamese Americans. A groundswell of outrage has united many in the Vietnamese refugee community since the CBS program 48 Hours aired a segment on October 17 documenting Nike's labor abuses in Vietnam. These abuses include: hitting workers on the face, head and neck; sexual assault; forcing workers to kneel for long periods with their arms in the air; and taping a worker's mouth shut. Look for more Nike protests by Vietnamese Americans in the coming weeks and months.
The 48 Hours crew from CBS also was present at this event. According to one source, CBS correspondent Diane Ronnau, who attended a Nike press conference earlier in the day, was escorted out of the event by Nike security when she persisted in asking embarrassing questions.
During the protest, Nike CEO Phil Knight emerged from a doorway. When a demonstrator tried to hand him a leaflet, Knight spun around and retreated into the building.
By and large, Nike's stable of athlete endorsers present at the opening were no more receptive to taking leaflets than was their boss. They apparently don't want to know where their money is coming from.
Jeff Ballinger of Press for Change spotted Nike's (and Hollywood's) Spike Lee leaving the event and followed him down the street, asking him to look at a leaflet. When Lee refused, Ballinger said that he had lived in Indonesia for four years and that the charges against Nike were not something that he was just making up. He asked Lee to meet with him and other Nike critics when he has time. Lee finally accepted a leaflet and a press packet.
The Nike campaign is gaining new supporters. Coming soon: Look for a Campaign for Labor Rights report on a Canadian union local which has taken on the Nike campaign in a personal way.
Nike in the News