Image above: Mashup by Juan Wilson of BP logo. From (http://www.atheistnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30146&start=0).
By YadaYadaTwin on 28 June 2010 in iReport -
(http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-466703)
As recently as 30 minutes ago, Facebook has removed the main "Boycott BP" from it's page. With it, it leave almost 800,000 fans hanging.
This group was created with the intent of sending a clear and strong message to BP and to Washington that what has happened in the Gulf has to stop everywhere.
People from all over the world shared video clips, pictures, and frustration over what has been seen incredibly slow process to an ever growing economic and environmental disaster.
Boycott BP and it's creator, Lee Perkins, have been focused in several interviews recently, one of which was done with Diane Sawyer. To say he has made a large impact in a short amount of time is an understatement.
The question is: Why did Facebook suddenly take down the site? Some will call it a media black out of what is really happening down here in the Gulf. Some might say he was doing more harm than good given the fact that the Boycotting of BP was actually beginning to take hold if you judge by some of the photos and videos being posted of station owners either changing to a new brand, or closing altogether.
Whichever way you look at it, the voices of the people were being heard in a most unique and powerful way. We felt we were making a difference.
If we were not, then why the sudden removal of the page?
UPDATE: Lee Perkins has put a new Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-bpARCO/138332356184294?ref=mf
His Quote: "Boycott bp/ARCO I can't believe they shut us down with no explanation. I could not even say goodbye to my friends. We must have been doing something right. Calling the media now. bayoulee.com is up and running. -- Bayou Lee"
Facebook Disabled The Massively Popular Boycott BP Page 'In Error' By Robin Wauters on 29 June 2010 for Techcrunch.com - (http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/29/facebook-boycott-bp-page/) This morning, there was some ruckus on the Web when Facebook seemingly flat out deleted the Boycott BP page, which has amassed some 734,000 ‘fans’ on the social network so far. The message spread quickly, with posts going up on CNN’s citizen journalism project iReport and Desmond Perkins, who set up the Boycott BP page, alleging that Facebook singled him and members of his family out to silence him on the site via his own website and Twitter account. Perkins promptly set up a new Facebook page, which grew to just south of 10,000 users in half a day. About 9 hours after its removal, Facebook reinstated the page, which is used by a vocal group of users to vent their feelings and share information and opinions regarding the oil spill and the way BP is handling (or rather, not handling) the tragic situation. Following multiple reports on the Web about the mysterious apparent removal of the page and its return, we contacted Facebook to learn what happened exactly. Moments ago, the company provided us with an official statement on the matter, which remains quite vague but at least acknowledges there was no malicious intent involved, let alone a conscious decision by someone at Facebook to shut the page down: “The admin profile of the Boycott BP Page was disabled by our automated systems therefore removing all the content that had been created by the profile. After a manual review we determined the profile was removed in error and it has now been restored along with the Page.” Asked what triggered the automated systems to flag said profile in the first place, Facebook declined to go into detail because it fears people knowing about how their systems work will “weaken their effectiveness”. Either way, Perkins and the 734,000+ who are keen on showing their dislike for BP on Facebook can rest assured they were not intentionally marked for silencing. It was a systems failure – rather ironic of course considering the reason why this page was set up in the first place.
The day before the attempted "Boycott BP" shutdown, the following was in the news: Frustrated stations want BP help By Harry R. Weber on 27 June 2010 for Associated Press - (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100627/ap_on_bi_ge/us_oil_spill_bp_at_the_pump) Tension is mounting between BP and the neighborhood retailers that sell its gasoline. As more Americans shun BP gasoline as a form of protest over the Gulf oil spill, station owners are insisting BP do more to help them convince motorists that such boycotts mostly hurt independently owned businesses, not the British oil giant. To win back customers, they'd like the company's help in reducing the price at the pump. BP owns just a fraction of the more than 11,000 stations across the U.S. that sell its fuel under the BP, Amoco and ARCO banners. Most are owned by local businessmen whose primary connection to the oil company is the logo and a contract to buy gasoline. In recent weeks, some station owners from Georgia to Illinois say sales have declined as much as 10 percent to 40 percent. Station owners and BP gas distributors told BP officials last week they need a break on the cost of the gas they buy, and they want help paying for more advertising aimed at motorists, according to John Kleine, executive director of the independent BP Amoco Marketers Association. The station owners, who earn more from sales of soda and snacks than on gasoline, also want more frequent meetings with BP officials. "They have got to be more competitive on their fuel costs to the retailers so we can be competitive on the street ... and bring back customers that we've lost," says Bob Juckniess, who has seen sales drop 20 percent at some of his 10 BP-branded stations in the Chicago area. Owners and distributors put forth their demands at a meeting in Chicago with BP marketing officials. BP's reply could come as early as this week, says Kleine, whose group represents hundreds of distributors. Station owners are locked into contracts that can last seven to 10 years in some cases. So, switching to a competing brand if BP refuses to help may not be an option. BP spokesman Scott Dean declined to offer specifics about the discussions when contacted by The Associated Press. "BP is in daily contact with its independent distributors and franchisees and helping them manage the impacts the oil spill is having on their businesses," he said. Gasoline retailing trade groups say the boycott's impact isn't only evident in southern states such as Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, but also in places further from the spill like southern Pennsylvania. Jim Smith, president and CEO of the Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, said BP has given some station owners a one-cent-per-gallon discount, which "doesn't amount to much." Kleine told AP the discount appears limited to Florida. He declined to give the size of the discount that was requested at the Chicago meeting. Websites and Facebook pages advocating a BP boycott popped up soon after oil started spewing into the Gulf in late April... .
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