| Rory Murray |
| Rory Murray on Facebook: “We begin the BOYCOTT of Long Beach ACE Hardware. Why? Because the owner hates California cannabis patients. They’re willing to discriminate? We’re willing to shut ’em down.” |
Long Beach Store Manager Sponsors Friday Anti-Medical Marijuana Protest; Cannabis Advocates Plan Counter-Protest
Why does an Ace Hardware in Long Beach, California hate medical marijuana? Why on earth would a hardware store, of all places, take such a bizarre position — opposing safe access to the medicine that works best for a lot of very sick folks?
For whatever odd rationale, at least one Ace Hardware store feels it needs to protest against medicinal cannabis. The ownership of the Ace franchise at 4th Street and Olive Avenue in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District is organizing a Friday afternoon, September 21 protest rally in front of a medical marijuana dispensary across the street — and now patients and advocates are planning a counter-protest, reports Greggory Moore at the Long Beach Post.
| Long Beach Post |
| This dumb shit looks like a held-behind third grader made it. |
Medical marijuana activists in Long Beach say the counter-protest in front of the Ace Hardware store at 746 East Fourth Street in Long Beach will kick off at 4:30 p.m., the same time as the anti-medical marijuana protest, and the action will kick off a planned consumer boycott of the store, reports Nick Schou at OC Weekly.
Ace franchise owner/site manager Trent Barnes — who seems to be one quite ignorant fellow who could really use some business smarts and P.R. ability — was reported to be handing out fliers in the neighborhood, urging residents to attend a protest rally against “the Olive Ave. Marijuana Sales Shop,” referring to the dispensary 4th Street Long Beach Natural Solutions.
A crudely printed sign urges citizens to “Come Help Us Oppose the Olive Ave. Pot Shop,” and shows a badly drawn, unhappy-looking man holding a sign reading “POT SHOPS EQUAL TROUBLE!”
Employees at the Ace store in question reported being inundated with calls Wednesday from people upset with the planned anti-medical marijuana rally. Video of one such call was posted to YouTube, during which one store employee confirms that owners “Trent and Tyler” are sponsors of Friday’s anti-pot rally.
“I really didn’t even want to get involved with it,” the employee says on the video when questioned by the caller about why the owners are sponsoring the anti-pot rally. “That’s their thing that they’re doing. I have no idea why they’re doing it.”
“The misgivings of Ace employees were apparent during the Post‘s attempt to obtain a copy of the flier from the store,” reports Moore. “When reached by telephone late Wednesday afternoon, a clerk confirmed that the store had fliers at the front desk and would put one aside for me. However, upon my arrival 10 minutes later I was first told that they did not have any fliers, then that the fliers were locked in the owner’s office.
“Finally employees admitted they did have fliers at the front desk, but that in the 10 minutes between my phone call and arrival Daniel Velasquez, who identified himself as a manger, had decided they would not be distributing the fliers,” Moore reports.
Marijuana patients and advocates in the Long Beach area are invited to the corner of 4th Street and Olive Avenue (746 East Fourth Street) in downtown Long Beach, 4:30 p.m. Friday, for the counter-protest, according to local cannabis activist Cheri Sicard. “Bring signs and enthusiasm,” Sicard said. “Stay polite! See everyone there.”
If you live too far away to physically take part in the counter-protest, you can always let Ace Hardware know how displeased you are by posting on their Facebook timeline. You can also call Ace Hardware’s corporate offices at 1-866-290-5334; let them know you won’t be visiting any Ace Hardware stores because of their stance on medicinal cannabis.
Remember: Until they fix their attitude about medical marijuana, Don’t Show Your Face In An Ace!