Several recent demonstrations were held in Fresno to lend support to ongoing national boycott efforts against Chevron, for its ongoing logistical support for Israel, and against Home Depot, for its support of the Trump administration’s ICE raids and deportation policies.
Peace Fresno organized the Chevron boycott event at a Chevron station in north Fresno on Aug. 9. Chevron is the largest producer of natural gas for Israel and the largest multinational corporation with a significant stake in Israel’s energy sector.
More than 30 people joined the rally in the searing Fresno heat. Gerry Bill, Peace Fresno member and professor emeritus at Fresno City College, holding a sign that read “Vote with Your Dollars, Boycott Chevron,” said, “Chevron is supporting Israel and suppressing the people of Palestine, starving the people of Palestine. It’s time to boycott Chevron.”
Mahmoud of Fresno said, “I have lost at least five family members in Gaza. I have family now in central Gaza and Khan Yunis.
“People are starving. I recently saw a picture of my nephew. He’s really skinny. It’s really dangerous trying to get food. You can be shot, you can be run over.”
Dr. Farah Karipineni is a practicing surgeon and assistant professor at UCSF Fresno. She said, “I think a boycott is one of the most effective things we can do on a daily basis.
“I’m a little bit appalled that the American people can’t put up with a little inconvenience, but I think the tide is shifting. So many lives have been lost.
“As we speak, children are starving and being bombed at the same time. It’s still important not to lose hope. The right and wrong are so clear.”
Katie Myers, who has been attending local vigils and demonstrations, said, “I’ve been out here since October 2023. This is what I do. I’m out here to protest the vileness of what our country stands for, our unending support for Israel and the genocide in Gaza. I do not support companies that support Israel, and Chevron is one of them.”
Laura Myers, her 11-year-old daughter, said, “It’s really important to support Palestine. I care about all kids around the world, and it’s not fair that we have all this stuff today and so many don’t have a lot.”
Chevron’s Business Interests
Chevron operates and partially owns the largest active Israeli gas fields, Tamar and Leviathan. In 2023, Chevron made an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue from Tamar and Leviathan gas sales.
Chevron also operates and partially owns the East Mediterranean Gas pipeline, which runs from Israel to Egypt off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Chevron entered the Israeli fossil gas market in 2020 with the acquisition of Noble Energy; it can choose to sell off this investment at any time.
Chevron gas fuels nearly 50% of Israel’s electricity grid, which includes Israeli military bases, prisons and settlements. Chevron plays a key role in keeping Israel’s genocide machine running. Chevron funneled more than $462 million in tax revenue to Israeli government coffers through the acquisition of Noble Energy, an Israeli gas extraction company.
That money helps fuel the bombardment of 92% of homes in Gaza and the violent displacement of Palestinians. Chevron has supported the deaths of 61,827 Palestinians, including 18,430 children (Gaza Health Ministry), as of Aug. 15. Many more Palestinians remained buried under rubble throughout Gaza.
Support Journalism, Boycott Chevron
Al Jazeera News reports that at least 278 journalists and media workers journalists have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, and that number is greater than all the journalists killed in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Balkans War and the war in Afghanistan combined.
On Aug. 10, Israel deliberately assassinated five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza City: Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. They were working from a tent outside al-Shifa Hospital when Israel killed them in a targeted strike.
Israel’s military admitted to the killings, falsely claiming al-Sharif was a Hamas commander despite offering zero evidence. Journalists around the world are calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions to bring attention to the killings.
Home Depot Boycott
On July 26, protests took place across the United States, primarily focused on opposing President Trump’s policies and their impact on families and communities. These events, part of the “Families First: A 50-State Day of Peaceful Action” initiative, involved a broad coalition of organizations and aimed to mobilize communities against tax and spending cuts, as well as policies like mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid.
Locally, there was a protest in front of Home Depot in east Fresno to protest the company’s support for Trump policies and its cooperation with ICE. Although not calling for a local Home Depot boycott yet, the demonstration was held in solidarity with those undocumented workers kidnapped and detained at Home Depots in other cities, like Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times reports Home Depot raids in Monrovia, Westlake, Van Nuys, Ladera Ranch, Cypress Park, North Hollywood and elsewhere in the area. Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Network told the Los Angeles Times that “Home Depot, whether they like it or not, they are the epicenter of raids.”
About 100 people lined the sidewalk on Cesar Chavez Boulevard in front of Home Depot waving signs such as “No Human is Illegal.” Leonel Flores of the May 1st Coalition for Immigrant Rights organized the event.
He said, “We are here to tell our government it’s time to stop the deportations. It’s time to stop family separations. We are joining others around the country. We are here in front of Home Depot because they have done nothing to stop the raid.
“In other cities, they let ICE onto their parking lots and even into their stores. We’re asking Home Depot to not cooperate with ICE.
“I can’t understand why anyone would support deporting people to concentration camps. The government is cutting healthcare and education to fund building these camps and deportations. It’s incredible that some people in this country support this. It’s time to tell our representatives to stop deportations.”
Eva Gonzalez, a young woman from Fresno, said that “it’s important for people like us to speak up for the immigrants. The deportations and concentration camps are parallel with what happened in Hitler’s Germany. It’s beyond being civil at this point. We have to speak up now.”
Valerie, an elderly woman at the event, said, “I’m appalled at what’s happening in America. We need to get out and do something now.
“The Democrats have dropped the ball for the last 40 years. We are teetering on the edge of fascism.”
Cornbread is 75 years old. He said, “Immigrants are being shipped off to concentration camps. It’s totally unacceptable. I can’t believe that anybody can say they’re a Christian and support the inhumane way we are treating people like they’re not people.”
ICE Raids Are Deadly
On Aug. 14, a man fleeing an ICE raid at a Home Depot in Monrovia, Roberto Valdez, 52, was fatally struck by a vehicle. Rep. Judy Chu (D–Monterey Park) represents the area. In a written statement, she said that Valdez’s “death is a result of the Trump administration’s strategy of sowing intimidation and fear throughout Los Angeles. I will continue to demand accountability from ICE and stand up for the immigrant community.
“Home Depot’s parking lots have become focal points for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeting day laborers. While Home Depot states it is not involved in coordinating or notified about these operations, the presence of day laborers seeking work at the stores has made them a frequent target. ICE agents, sometimes arriving in unmarked vehicles, conduct raids to detain individuals, leading to both detentions and protests.”
Although Home Depot officials claim they are not notified and do not coordinate with ICE, Ken Langone, co-founder of The Home Depot, told CNBC that he has “never been more excited about the future of America than he is under President Donald J. Trump.” He praised President Trump’s economic policies, leadership and “return of the American spirit.”
The now deceased co-founder of The Home Depot, Bernard Marcus, donated more than $7 million to the 2024 Trump campaign.
Many Americans are already boycotting Home Depot for these aforementioned reasons.
