Demanding justice from CVS

SAN DIEGO--At least 40 people gathered in front of the CVS Pharmacy on 43rd Street on June 18 as part of a national protest campaign against the company's unethical and racist sales practices.

"We represent a lot of working-class people who are also consumers," said Jean Tong of the Change to Win union federation, which is leading up the campaign, "and it's not fair for them to have to check the labels on prescriptions they buy to make sure they're not expired."

Gerald Johnson, president of NAACP Branch 1086 in North San Diego County, pointed to the results of a local study showing that condoms are kept under lock and key in a number of CVS stores, especially those in neighborhoods at least 40 percent people of color. "That's just going to increase the rate of HIV infections," he said.

Referring to the study's findings that baby formula and prescription medication were often stocked well past their expiration dates, he said, "You won't find expired products in La Jolla [a wealthy part of San Diego], but you will in Southeast."

According to Armando Catano, a school teacher and activist with Latinos y Latinas en Accion who brought several current and ex-students to the picket, "In our community, kids are the victims of these unethical practices."

Protesters were buoyed by California Attorney General Jerry Brown's June 10 decision to levy a $1 million fine against CVS due to these types of violations. But as Johnson said, "Community awareness is needed to stop big corporations from taking advantage of impoverished communities."