New 'Boycott Target' campaign launched after police arrest man for recording girls in dressing room

Conservative group American Family Association has called for another round of petition to boycott Target after police arrested a man who allegedly recorded juvenile girls in a dressing room.

A view of a Target store in Lindsay, Ontario January 15, 2015. | REUTERS/FRED THORNHILL

AFA President Tim Wildmon asked American families on Tuesday, June 28 to declare their independence this coming Fourth of July from the giant company retailer Target. The center of the controversy happens to be the store's inclusive transgender bathroom policy that allows transgender employees and customers to use bathrooms and changing facilities based on their gender preference and not their biological sex.

AFA spearheaded a boycott campaign shortly after the company announced its bathroom policy in April. AFA and other conservative groups oppose the policy and criticize it as "dangerous," "unsafe and family unfriendly."

"Yet even with the signatures Target has turned a deaf ear to opposition regarding its dangerous bathroom policy that opens the door to predators and endangers women and girls. Not only does the loss of shoppers not matter but apparently neither does news like what happened in a New Hampshire Target store matter either," wrote Wildmon on the organization's website.

On June 24, Chief John Bryfonski of Bedford Police in New Hampshire confirmed the arrest of 22-year-old Zachery Bishop who allegedly recorded juvenile girls as they changed in the dressing room of a Target store.

The police charged the bishop with Violation of Privacy and detained him at Hillsborough County Jail on $2,000 bail.

AFA's initial signature campaign garnered 1.3 million pledges but Wildmon believes this may not be enough since the Target executives are not budging from their position. So Wildmon is raising another round of campaign.

"Therefore, we must speak louder—and numbers talk," Wildmon rallied.

AFA provided three ways to spread the new #BoycotttTarget campaign, including sample social media posts on Facebook and Twitter and a "pass-along" sheet.

"Perhaps another drop in sales during the busy summer shopping season will garner some attention," Wildmon said.