Black People Must Leave, NJ Walmart Announcer Says

[SBG]

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://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010...l-Comment.html

[imported_elp6n]

They likely will never identify the individual that made the announcement.
It could have been an employee, it could have been a shopper (a very likely scenario).

Every Walmart store's PA access is the same, and the code to access the PA from those black phones you see all over the store hasn't changed. I last worked at Walmart in 1999 in Christiansburg - the PA code is the same now in Norton as it was then.

[starbuck]

Arrest Made in Wal-Mart Intercom Case - News- msnbc.com

[starbuck]

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A 16-year-old boy who police said made an announcement at Walmart ordering all black people in the southern New Jersey store to leave was charged with harassment and bias intimidation, authorities said Saturday.
The boy, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, grabbed one of the courtesy phones at Walmart's Washington Township store Sunday evening and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now," police said.
The teen was arrested Friday and released to the custody of his parents; police did not know whether he had a lawyer.
Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here


"This was an extremely disturbing event on many levels," Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said at a news conference. "Any statements like these that can cause harm or grave concern must be addressed as quickly we possibly can."
Dalton said the case would be handled in juvenile court in neighboring Atlantic County, where the boy lives. He would not say whether the boy has a criminal record, citing the teen's age, and would not disclose the teen's race, saying that did not factor into the investigation.
The 16-year-old has been charged with harassment and bias intimidation.
Authorities would not say whether the announcement was planned or made impulsively. Police said they were also investigating a teenage boy who accompanied the suspect to the store, but the other boy has not been charged.
Officials for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said the announcement was "unacceptable," and Dalton praised the company for its strong cooperation in the investigation.
"We're pleased this matter is resolved," Walmart spokesman David Tovar said in a statement issued after the news conference. "We have updated our intercom system at this store to prevent this from happening again. We again apologize to all of our customers and associates who had to listen to something so offensive."
Although a manager quickly went on the intercom system and apologized for the remark, many customers expressed their anger to store management. Some community members said Saturday that they've heard reports of similar incidents happening at the store in recent months that were not reported to police.
"We are concerned about that, and we're looking into these incidents. We want to work with the community to make sure these types of incidents don't happen," said Loretta Winters, president of the Gloucester County chapter of the NAACP.
Winters said she hopes the boy will get counseling and be educated about sensitivity so he can understand the consequences of his actions.
"I'm assuming this person didn't realize how hurtful his comments were," she said.
The incident was the latest in a series of problems the retailer has had in its dealings with minorities and women.
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.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[MikeJones]

LOL that is hilarious