WALMART - Racial Incident

[lino]

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI, Associated Press Writer Bruce Shipkowski, Associated Press Writer – Thu Mar 18, 1:07 am ET

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A Walmart store announcement ordering black people to leave brought chagrin and apologies Wednesday from leaders of the company, which has built a fragile trust among minority communities.

A male voice came over the public-address system Sunday evening at a store in Washington Township, in southern New Jersey, and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now."

Shoppers in the store at the time said a manager quickly got on the public-address system and apologized for the remark. And while it was unclear whether a rogue patron or an employee was responsible for the comment, many customers expressed their anger to store management.

"I want to know why such statements are being made, because it flies in the face of what we teach our children about tolerance for all," said Sheila Ellington, who was in the store at the time with a friend. "If this was meant to be a prank, there's only one person laughing, and it's not either one of us."

Ellington, of Monroe, and her friend Patricia Covington said they plan to boycott the retailer until they're assured the issue has been addressed so it doesn't happen again.

The pair said they were stunned when they heard the announcement and initially believed they had misheard it. But once the words sank in, they grew angry.

"I depended on Walmart for all my needs, because the store has pretty much everything you could want," Covington said. "But until this issue is addressed in a way I'm comfortable with, I can't walk through those doors again."

Officials with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., said that the announcement was "unacceptable" and that they're trying to determine who made it and how it happened.

"We are just as appalled by this incident as our customers," the company said in a statement. "Whoever did this is just wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner. Clearly, this is completely unacceptable to us and to our customers."

This is not the first time the retailer has faced such problems.

There have been several past instances of black customers claiming they were treated unfairly at Walmart stores, and the company faced lawsuits alleging that women were passed over in favor of men for pay raises and promotions.

In February 2009, the retailer paid $17.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in its hiring of truck drivers.

And the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the company in May 2009, claiming some Hispanic employees at a Sam's Club subsidiary in California were subjected to a hostile work environment. That suit alleges managers failed to stop repeated verbal harassment, including the use of derogatory words, against employees of Mexican descent.

However, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has said the company has worked hard in recent years to show it cares about diversity.

Bill Mitchell, a former Walmart employee who was shopping Wednesday at the store, said that he was saddened to hear about the announcement but that "as a black man, I've heard worse things."

As customer Sharon Osbourne, of Williamstown, left the store Wednesday, she called the announcement "appalling, stupid and sad."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_...mment

[Dattebayo]

So some kid gets on the PA system and now there's a boycott?

Ignorance is a two-way street, people.

[numbnuts240]

disney is anti-semitic and walmart dislikes black people. why are we surprised?

[Solar_Runner]

So some kid gets on the PA system and now there's a boycott?

Ignorance is a two-way street, people.

Oh just wait, some oppertunist is gonna sue too...

[RobPaulson]

Ignorance is a two-way street, people.

[ProudNissanFreak]

So some kid gets on the PA system and now there's a boycott?

Ignorance is a two-way street, people.

This.

[themadscientist]

People in Walmart should be treated badly. Not with racial slurs, though; not cool.

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

[PoorManQ45]

Anyone can pick up the phones in the aisles and if they dial the right extension they'll get on to the intercom

[Bubba1]

So some kid gets on the PA system and now there's a boycott?

Ignorance is a two-way street, people.

Very true, but I don't believe Walmart knows yet if it was a customer or an employee that did it. It would be more disturbing if it was an employee.

[Bubba1]

Anyone can pick up the phones in the aisles and if they dial the right extension they'll get on to the intercom

That's probably the root of the problem. It would not surprise me to see Walmart retrofit problem stores with an intercom system that requires a PIN to access the intercom.

[dickie]

i lol'd. people need to be less sensitive or stuff like this is going to keep happening.

there's always going to be someone out there trying to piss in your cereal no matter how much you police it. what if people just stopped caring and turned the other cheek? then there would be no more "public outrage."

i do hate wal mart but i hate overly litigious people more.

[JLAUDIO85]

Very true, but I don't believe Walmart knows yet if it was a customer or an employee that did it. It would be more disturbing if it was an employee.

I wouldnt be surprised at all if it was an employee

Anyone can pick up the phones in the aisles and if they dial the right extension they'll get on to the intercom

yea this is true... my friend who used to work at Walmart when he was in highschool, he went into Walmart and he got on the intercom and he announced this firecode lol apparently employees went bananas

[Dattebayo]

my friend who used to work at Walmart when he was in highschool, he went into Walmart and he got on the intercom and he announced this firecode lol apparently employees went bananas

See, this is my thought- I bet it was an ex-employee doing a mal-intended prank on the store.

Still, why any particular shopper would think it had anything to do with the store itself is beyond me. I just think the complainers are stupid wastes of spineless consumer flesh.

[JLAUDIO85]

yea its easy according to him...he still remembered the announcement code then he just shouted fire alarm lol

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Your friend sounds like a real winner...

[Dattebayo]

Your friend sounds like a real winner...

Well, he is Canadian...

[breadbox]

There is a video of people abusing the intercom on youtube, they have a store employee leave his department to collect a gift/package in electronics. SOme brown paper bag with something dumb in it.

[JLAUDIO85]

Well, he is Canadian...

just like Crosby's goal in Olympic Ehh

[Space Monkey]

Well, he is Canadian...

So we can commit small pranks. Not like we sit in the trunks of vehicles and mass murder people...

[PoorManQ45]

So we can commit small pranks. Not like we sit in the trunks of vehicles and mass murder people...

Your government already thinks you're to stupid to have guns...

[Space Monkey]

Your government already thinks you're to stupid to have guns...

Americans prove my government correct yearly.

[Space Monkey]

Just to add to that. Canadians CAN own guns and keep them in their houses. Even hand guns. We are not allowed FA weapons and I don't think Americans are either. We just need to take a gun course and have a license to bare arms.

[numbnuts240]

Americans prove my government correct yearly.

oh, wait. i'm american....WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU PEOPLE????

[Space Monkey]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU PEOPLE????

Who said "You People?"

[ProudNissanFreak]

Your government already thinks you're to stupid to have guns...

It's "too stupid", stupid.

[numbnuts240]

Who said "You People?"

[Dattebayo]

Not like we sit in the trunks of vehicles and mass murder people...

I don't think murderers are in the trunk. Maybe their victims?Eh?

[PoorManQ45]

I don't think murderers are in the trunk. Maybe their victims?Eh?

He was talking about the DC Sniper.

Americans prove my government correct yearly.

Explain? You have criminals too...

Just to add to that. Canadians CAN own guns and keep them in their houses. Even hand guns. We are not allowed FA weapons and I don't think Americans are either. We just need to take a gun course and have a license to bare arms.

We can have FA weapons made before a certain year. 1986 IIRC. It takes like 6 months and they have to be registered, but we can have them. If you can get a regular gun you can get an FA

[AppleBonker]

Who said "You People?"

What the hell you mean, "you people"?

[Space Monkey]

What the hell you mean, "you people"?

^would make sense if this had anything to do with skin color...

Explain? You have criminals too...

We do have criminals, although we don't have a regular occurrence of mistaken use of fire arms causing harm to our "too stupid" citizens. We also don't have a lot of gun armed incidents.

We can have FA weapons made before a certain year. 1986 IIRC. It takes like 6 months and they have to be registered, but we can have them. If you can get a regular gun you can get an FA

This is just scary retarded. Who needs a FAW to defend their home? Unless you are already doing incriminating things?