Black people must leave,... NJ Walmart announcer says

[sheclown]

Bruce Shipkowski, Associated Press Writer, On Wednesday March 17, 2010, 7:26 pm

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- 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."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Black-people-must-leave-NJ-apf-2579851368.html?x=0

[Lunican]

You can pick up any of those phones mounted on poles around the store and make your own custom announcement. It was probably some kid.

[sheclown]

Well, that isn't very smart on their part.

[reednavy]

I laughed

[Cricket]

Whenever there is a racial implication seems like every little prank gets major billing in the news. We just give the nuts in our society more publicity than they deserve and they love it.

[brainstormer]

Shouldn't customers at Wal-Mart be more upset that the company has actually increased the poverty level by convincing poor people to buy junk they don't need just because they think it is cheap?

[urbanlibertarian]

I shop at Walmart monthly and save a lot of money on non-junk I do need.

[reednavy]

Target ftw.

[Doctor_K]

Shouldn't customers at Wal-Mart be more upset that the company has actually increased the poverty level by convincing poor people to buy junk they don't need just because they think it is cheap?

Wal-Mart doesn't force people to buy the useless junk.  That's a lack of personal restraint and responsibility on the part of said party.

Just like McDonalds (I *love* how it's always McDonalds, and never Burger King or Krystal or Taco Bell or Bojangles) doesn't force people to eat 1200 calories per meal. 

It all comes down to self-responsibility.

I shop at Walmart monthly and save a lot of money on non-junk I do need.

Ditto.  The power of bulk-buying and passing along the savings to the customer is alive and well and brilliantly done.

[Overstreet]

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


Was she on her way to the taping of the Celebrity Apprentise? I wonder what Ozzie thinks of the announcement? Maybe is wasn't that Sharon O.

[heights unknown]

As a black man, at the time the announcement was made it wouldn't have bothered me really; I would have laughed because I know the announcement was not made by a kid, as someone iterated in a previous post; it was made by a pseudo-nut psycho idiot f**kwad weirdo. And his or her action is not indicative of the whole of our white, black, brown, red, or yellow society, whichever group that bit** comes from.  I know, if it doesn't bother you "HU," then why are you cussing?  Because people like that, no matter what race they are from do piss me off "behind the scenes," and, they deserve not to even be in our country.

"HU"

[Sportmotor]

I would have laughted, its wrong but it would have caught me so off guard I would have laughted.

[Coolyfett]

You can pick up any of those phones mounted on poles around the store and make your own custom announcement. It was probably some kid.

Your right....its easy especially at the paint counter or in those garden areas. The manager should not have apoligized....should have annouced a sale instead. It was a black kid that did the prank.

[David]

Next time someone hijacks the mic at wally world they should say "all poorly dressed overweight people beating their kids need to leave"

or something.

[buckethead]

I will leave that for you to attend...