According to D.C. publication The Hill, the list of of artists joining Stevie Wonder in boycotting Florida over the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws is growing, and doing so fast. After George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Travyon Martin, at a concert soon after, Wonder announced his boycott of that state and other states with “Stand Your Ground” until these laws are struck down:
“I decided today that until the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again. As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world. The truth is that — for those of you who’ve lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world — we can’t bring them back. What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That’s what I know we can do.”
As for what places that do “Stand Your Ground,” that’s actually a good number of states, as many have Stand Your Ground-type laws (including popular places for tourism like Texas and Louisiana). But as of right now, artists are sticking with Florida. Musicians going Wonder’s way reportedly (according to The Hill, Us and American Urban Radio Networks’ April Ryan) include Madonna, Rod Stewart, Usher, the Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Trey Songz, Young Jeezy, R. Kelly, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys. We’ll see if they’ll actually follow through and cancel shows.
Some individuals on blogs have said that they think boycotting will only hurt fans in Florida. Could enough of a dip in profit from concerts and performances in the state actually have enough of an impact to push those in power in Florida to repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws? You tell us below.
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