Local youths protest tobacco giant

Tobacco-free kids talk to shareholders

By Jessie Waldheim
Daily News staff writer

Rock County Tobacco-Free youngsters joined international youth Thursday in a protest at the shareholders meeting of Altria, formerly Philip Morris.

``I think we made a big impact outside. There was a lot of us out there just cheering and having fun,'' Beloit Memorial High School freshman Andrew Simonds said.

The 15-year-old has been involved in tobacco prevention groups for the past five years, in part, he said, because he doesn't want to start smoking like his parents do. They don't grudge him his anti-tobacco attitude though.

``My parents support me 100 percent because they've been trying to quit for a while now,'' Simonds said. ``And I think I'm helping them out with it.''

So when Simonds heard Debbie Fischer, Director of Rock County Tobacco Free Kids, was looking for people to bring to the protest, he signed up. Others accompanying him were BMHS senior Kevin McBride and Sebastian Cortes, a foreign exchange student from Cali, Columbia. From Janesville's Parker High School were Whitney Nelson and Tommy Mills and from Clinton High School was Kaydee Kemp. The trip was sponsored with a grant procured by Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco, a division of Tobacco Free Kids.

The Rock County contingent was introduced to the rest of the youth the night before the rally during a poster-making session.

``So we knew everybody at the rally,'' Simonds said.

They were on the sidewalk outside the headquarters for Kraft, owned by Altria, by 6:30 a.m. and stayed throughout the shareholders meeting until after noon.

``We did chants. We were singing and taking pictures,'' Simonds said. ``A lot of things were going on so it was a really active day.''

Shareholders and others attending the meeting made their way past the groups camped out 50 feet away from the facility's entrance. Some offered discouraging remarks or gestures, Simonds said.

``We didn't really care though. We just gave them a wave,'' he said.

This is the third year youth have been involved in protesting the yearly meeting. The tobacco giant has historically held its meetings in Richmond, Va.. Last year shareholders were joined by 300 protesters, and this year the meeting moved to East Hanover, N.J.

Of the 150 students at the rally, nine were able to attend the shareholders meeting, including Parker High School sophomore Nelson.

``It was really interesting because they starting talking about how much money they made,'' Nelson said. ``Then there was a question and answer period.''

There were several anti-tobacco groups attending, some speaking at the meeting. The groups put proposals forward to have the company include more adequate warnings against tobacco for pregnant women, report the health risks associated with filters, have political disclosure, cease promotion of light and ultra-light cigarettes and to include warnings on all cigarette packs worldwide.

All five proposals failed, but Nelson believes their presence was still felt.

``It's just getting the word out that they've targeted us for so long, now we're going to target them,'' she said.