Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg to stage ‘die-in’ protest

Parkland, Fla., shooting survivor David Hogg is leading a “die-in” protest at two popular Parkland-area supermarkets on Friday to protest the chain’s financial support for a pro-gun rights gubernatorial candidate.

Hogg — a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed in a February shooting — tweeted that the 12-minute protest will start at 4 p.m. and take place inside two Publix stores. 

“Just go [and] lie down starting at 4,” Hogg tweeted. “Feel free to die in with us at many other @Publix as possible.”

.@Publix is a #NRASellOut
In Parkland we will have a die in the Friday (the 25th) before memorial day weekend. Starting at 4pm for 12 min inside our 2 Publix stores. Just go an lie down starting at 4. Feel free to die in with us at as many other @Publix as possible.

— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) May 23, 2018

Hogg said in a live video on Twitter that more people have been killed at schools so far in 2018 than have been killed while serving in the U.S. military and encouraged similar protests at Publix’s other locations, citing a recent analysis published in The Washington Post. 

Hogg’s remarks come as the regional grocery store is facing criticism for its $670,000 in campaign donations to Adam Putnam, a former GOP representative and Florida’s agriculture commissioner. Putnam has taken donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and describes himself as a “proud NRA sellout.”

Earlier this week, Parkland shooting survivors called for a boycott of the chain, prompting a wave of social media users to promote the hashtag #BoycottPublix, shaming the store for its support.

The grocery chain has previously said that it only supports Putnam and has never donated to the NRA, but earlier this week the company suggested it would handle future political donations differently, according to an emailed statement obtained by CBS News.

“We regret that some of our political contributions have led to an unintentional customer divide instead of our desire to support a growing economy in Florida,” a Publix spokesperson said in the statement. “As a result of this situation, we are evaluating our processes to ensure that our giving better reflects our intended desire to support a strong economy and a healthy community.” 

The NRA is facing heat from gun-control activists who were re-energized following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After a brief slowdown in momentum, the push for gun control gained more steam following last week’s shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, where a gunman killed 10 and injured 13.