Culver City demonstrators demand Sony and Amazon sign democracy pledge

On a sweltering Saturday in Culver City, approximately 100 demonstrators gathered outside City Hall to demand that major media corporations sign the Business for Democracy Pledge ahead of the November elections. The protest, which targeted local offices belonging to Sony Pictures Studios, Apple, Pinterest, and Amazon MGM Studios, was led by local activist groups Culver City and Friends Rising and Keep Showing Up.

Marching Through Culver City To Target Media Executives

After hearing from several speakers outside City Hall, the crowd marched a few blocks to the offices of Sony Pictures Studios. Demonstrators walked directly past promotional posters for the upcoming Sony release titled "The Social Reckoning" before walking back across downtown Culver City to stage a demonstration outside the historic Culver Studios, which is currently owned by Amazon MGM. Organizers sent letters earlier in the week to the chief executives of all four targeted companies requesting their signature on the pledge, but received no response. Spokespeople for Sony, Apple, Pinterest, and Amazon also did not return messages sent by the Los Angeles Times.

Demanding Corporate Backing For Democratic Stability

Businesses and particularly large corporations like Sony, Apple, Pinterest and Amazon, who are our focus today, have a particular role to play in defending democracy, Ansell said before the march. Ansell added that large enterprises carry significant weight and that international precedent shows corporate defense of democratic institutions can prevent shifts toward authoritarianism.

Culver City Vice-Mayor Bryan Bubba Fish spoke as a featured guest, pointing out that these international media conglomerates rely on stable public governance to achieve growth. The message of this event is that these major corporations, that are the largest and richest corporations in the history of the planet, benefit from our civilized society, Fish said. Reverend Dr. Frances Wattman Rosenau, pastor at Culver City Presbyterian Church, also addressed the crowd during stops at Sony and Amazon MGM, calling corporate partnership an essential act for the common good. That should be the floor, Fish added. We’re here saying you’re a part of our community, stand for free and fair elections and defend democracy alongside us. Reverend Dr. Rosenau further explained her presence while walking between locations, stating that democracy serves as a core country value and emphasizing her faith-driven commitment to giving voice to the voiceless, ensuring no one is marginalized, and urging everyone to be in the boat and rowing.

National Advocacy Groups Coordinate Culver City Demonstration

The Culver City demonstration operated as part of a nationwide series of events organized in collaboration with the advocacy group May Day Strong. Representatives from multiple regional labor and community organizations—including PowerSwitch Action, National Nurses United, and Singing Resistance Santa Monica—participated in Saturday’s march. Amy Schur, campaign director with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, also known as ACCE, helps coordinate the national campaign for the pledge and noted that people across the country are rising up of their own accord because they see what is at stake, though she emphasized that much work remains to harness that energy into strategic impact.

We’re here today to say don’t wait for the equivalent of January 6 to happen again.

Phil Ansell