Ferguson: Celebs call for 'Black Friday' boycott after shooting verdict

Los Angeles: US celebrities called for boycotting Black Friday -- one of the busiest US shopping days -- to protest against a grand jury's decision not to prosecute a police officer who fatally shot a black teen in Ferguson, Missouri.A number of well-known figures, among them hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, have signed onto the action, under the Twitter hashtags #NotOneDime and #BlackoutBlackFriday."We have the power to change our nation. Stand up with @UnitedBlackout on #BlackoutBlackFriday," tweeted one of the supporters, actress Kat Graham, who stars in TV series "The Vampire Diaries."[caption id="attachment_1823875" align="alignleft" width="380"] Black Friday is a day of deep commercial discounts and frenzied shopping which takes place each year after Thanksgiving in US. Reuters/File photo[/caption]Also backing the campaign were TV star Jesse Williams and celebrated journalist Soledad O'Brien, among others."No Just, No Profit. Corporate/public power only speaks USD. So let's talk to 'em," Williams tweeted, along with a link to a video compilation of police brutality.Black Friday is a day of deep commercial discounts and frenzied shopping which takes place each year after the Thursday Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.The planned campaign calls for a one-day moratorium on spending to protest what it calls "staggering" human rights violations in the United States, including police brutality.The boycott was prompted by widespread outrage after a grand jury on Monday failed to indict a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri who shot and killed black 18-year-old Michael Brown in August.Protests erupted across the US after the decision.America's 43 million black citizens will hold about $1.1 trillion in purchasing power by 2015, a Nielsen study said.AFP