Twin Cities Leprechaun Flash Mob!

A flash mob can be a cheery and exciting method for public education about an issue.

This past Sunday, RAN Twin Cities joined with Macalester College students and Real Food Challenge participants for a festive leprechaun action! As Twin Cities activist Erick Boustead said, “Pristine rainforest in Indonesia and Malaysia is being cut down for palm oil that ends up in the cereal we eat.” The Twin Cities based company General Mills sources unsustainable palm oil for their products such as Cheerios and Lucky Charms. On the afternoon of March 14, seventeen activists wearing green clothes gathered in the Midway Shopping Center of St. Paul, MN, to adorn themselves with face paint, hats, and patches with informative statements, such as “Lucky Charms cause rainforest destruction”, and “Lucky Charms: they’re magically destructive!” Other General Mills products were also under attack, but obviously leprechauns have a particular interest in Lucky Charms.

Leprechaun examines ingredient list during flash mob

As they moved to their first location, the grocery store Rainbow Foods, they were greeted at the door by police, an angry manager, and about 10 men who stood in front of the door to prevent them from entering the store. Apparently, the manager had heard about the action beforehand and recruited volunteers to help keep leprechauns out of the store. RAN activists were told they would be arrested by the St. Paul police if they entered, even though they had made clear that they did not want to interrupt the store’s business but instead promote awareness while having an enjoyable time. It can be frustrating to face limitations to free speech, but the activists were undeterred and cheerfully moved on to their next location.

The leprechaun team chose to move to a different set of stores on Lake Street in Minneapolis. At the Rainbow Foods and Cub Foods stores, the leprechauns filed into the produce and cereal aisles to freeze for several minutes, bringing the attention of store customers to their cause. They then danced out to flute music while handing out flyers about General Mills and palm oil. At Cub Foods, an angry manager came out to ask them to leave. A cop in front of Target prevented them from visiting that store, and so the flash mob was over.

The success of this action was a result of several characteristics of the participants involved. It was great that the activists adapted to the situation at hand! They made on-the-spot decisions including changing locations so that the mob could move forward effectively. This kind of flexibility is key for such actions.

In addition, for any kind of dancing action, it’s important to maintain a positive attitude! The police and managers at the store could have brought spirits down, but the flash mob participants maintained their focus and message. I am so proud of the fantastic Twin Cities activists who made this action work and celebrated a truly green St. Patrick’s Day.

Even though all the leprechauns had a great time and conveyed their message in a fun way, it seemed like store customers were still afraid of them. It is important for flash mob participants to appeal to the public, but it is also important to recognize that there will always be a fear of challenging authority and speaking powerfully against corporate power. I hope that we can continue to engage the public in ways that bring greater understanding of the problem with palm oil to a wide audience.