The guillotine is a clear reference to the 1793 beheading of Marie Antoinette at the beginning of the French Revolution. Despite the instrument’s destructive purpose, the protesters on the street outside of Bezos’ home were peaceful just sitting or standing around the device.
It is unclear if Bezos was at home at the time the protesters delivered the prop but the protesters were determined to make their message loud and clear by circulating a digital flyer that read, “Amazon works directly with police to surveil us, stoking racist fears in the name of profit. Doubling down on their union-busting and mistreatment of workers… Join us to tell Jeff Bezos enough is enough!”
In his defense, Bezos did respond to an angry Amazon customer earlier this month on why Amazon is supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. After the disgruntled customer sent Bezos an email to say “All Lives Matter”, Bezos replied with, “‘Black Lives Matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter. Black live matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.”
