We all know that actions speak louder than words. And when you consider the media bias and the narrative that has been created, that sentiment is especially true for conservatives and Tea Party members in this country. Last weekend, the St. Louis Tea Party did something truly remarkable that has, quite literally, changed the hearts and minds of dozens of shopkeepers in the violence-plagued Ferguson, Missouri.
“I love what the St. Louis Tea Party did. If you are listening now, well done,” KFMB’s Mike Slater said on radio this morning. “Obviously Ferguson businesses were vandalized… So what did the Tea Party do? They sat on their couches and yelled at the television. No. They got together and decided to organize a ‘BUYcott.’”
In the aftermath of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, riots and violence plagued the streets of Ferguson resulting in the vandalism and looting of local businesses. In order to help these struggling businesses, the St. Louis Tea Party decided to organize a “BUYcott” on August 21.
The group spread the word of the “BUYcott” event on Facebook, hoping to get at least 20 people to show up and spend their hard-earned money at local Ferguson businesses on August 21. They apparently ended up with a group of about 40 “(mostly) white people” — and something amazing happened.
They reportedly targeted small businesses who “were hit hard by violence–violence committed (mostly) by out of town agitators, criminals, vandals, and hooligans.”
After the event, Tea Party member Bill Hennessy wrote about what he experienced that day. He said one business owner was particularly surprised to learn he was a member of the Tea Party, but that simple interaction that day very well may have changed the man’s mind.
“In that moment of reflection, I’m sure he was trying to reconcile ‘tea party’ with what he was seeing–four white people, ages 18 to 50, laughing, spending money, empathizing,” Hennessy wrote. “That moment made the whole event worthwhile.”
As Hennessey concluded, “you can’t change the world in your living room.”
“I said it's essential to ‘win.’ What do you mean ‘win’? I mean a lot of things… [but] it means thinking outside the box,” Mike concluded. “I love what the St. Louis Tea Party did… Well done.”