Interesting thread. Clash of two stubborn people IMO. Cyclist and Employee.
I do not have one strand of activist DNA in me. Mine is 100% dedicated to adapting to my environment. That said, if there isn't a REASONABLY safe place to lock up my bike somewhere, I go somewhere else. I might roll my bike into the bank, but I am not rolling it through the store banging my shins on the pedals with every step as some have suggested.
I have ridden my tiny folding "clown bike" to WallyWorld and stowed it on the rack under the basket while I shopped. Wal-Mart is in a terrible neighborhood so forget even the best bike rack. I am limited to what I can carry in a big backpack though. I purchased that clown bike specifically for difficult circumstances of all kinds. I can't change the world around me very easily, but I can easily change MYSELF. So that is my approach.