FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, 31 January 2014
CONTACT: Brett Abrams: 516-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Statement by Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange, the nation’s largest online civil rights organization, on President Obama’s plans to meet with The Principal Financial Group’s (The Principal) CEO Larry Zimpleman (the new chairman of the Financial Services Roundtable) and his company’s continued investment in the private, for-profit prison industry:
“As President Obama looks to some of our nation’s top CEOs for help dealing with the long-term unemployed, it is important the President keep in mind that while Mr. Zimpleman claims to be running an ethical company, his company’s massive investments in private prisons — housing shares valued at more than $113 million — show otherwise. And the failure of Zimpleman to implement safeguards to prevent these kinds of investments that condone and support an industry responsible for such egregious human rights abuses and deeply corrupt business practices, make Zimpleman a questionable government ally.
The Principal’s executives can’t have it both ways. They have an important choice to make: Either demonstrate leadership in the industry and join the growing number of companies that are disassociating from private prisons or continue profiting off of torture and immense human suffering. In his meetings with Principal Financial CEO Larry Zimpleman, we hope the President will remind the company of the important choices that lay in front of them.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20140129/BUSINESS/301290055/?odyssey=nav|head
More than 45,000 ColorOfChange members have signed onto the campaign urging investors to withdraw their investment in an inhumane industry.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/privateprison_divestment/
For interviews with ColorOfChange.org, please contact Brett Abrams at 516-841-1105 or by email at brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com.
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With more than 900,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.