Is is 1950?
By estherlou
@estherlou (5015)
United States
March 19, 2010 10:47am CST
An announcement over the PA system shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday at the Turnersville, New Jersey, Wal-Mart Supercenter said, "Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers," she said a male voice announced. "All blacks need to leave the store."
Most people stopped in stunned amazement wondering if they actually heard that. Some customers left in disgust. The black assistant manager didn't know what was going on. The store manager got on and apologized to customers and called the police. Police investigations haven't found anything conclusive yet. There are many in-store phones that can make announcements, and all aren't covered by security cameras. It could have been a bad hoax or a "a suspected bias intimidation crime."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/18/walmart.racial.customers/index.html?npt=NP1 Wow! that is huge! I am constantly amazed at how much racial prejudice still exists in the US.
4 people like this
10 responses
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
19 Mar 10
hi estherlou wow how vile and disgusting that after all this
time racial prejudice still exists here in the United States
and is mean enough to play a stupid trick like that in
walmart where the greatest number of people would hear
the bigots message.I only hope that when they catch whoever'
did it the person get big time jail time, not just a slap
'on the racist wrist.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Mar 10
I hope they catch the idiot and hit him/her with a hefty fine!
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
20 Mar 10
Just saw a CNN news report. A 16 yr. old boy was arrested for this prank and charged with bias intimidation and harassment charges.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/20/walmart.racial.remark/index.html
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
19 Mar 10
That must have been the most horrible announcement to hear that would have upset many people, both black and white. I am not surprised that some customers rushed away in disgust. Whoever made the announcement should be ashamed of himself. It was a very hurtful and prejudice to black people. All black people living in the USA and in other countries deserve respect and equality should be there for all people. The color of skin doesn't matter. If we all looked the same life would be boring. I am surprised that happened in New Jersey and not further south where I have heard some people sadly are still quite racists. I hope that the police find who made that awful announcement.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
19 Mar 10
walmart needs to get those phones off floor,or more like this is going to happen,unfortunetly.the one local to me has a big problem with people picking them up and saying anything.
@PurpleTeddyBear (6685)
• Canada
19 Mar 10
I agree! They need to get them off the floors and behind desks and/or tills! Otherwise this kind of thing will keep happening!
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
21 Mar 10
It was a teenager and he's being brought up on charges. I hope that in the future, they make it more difficult to get on the Public Address system. A person could do more racial damage, do a bomb threat, make people quickly evacuate and people could die, etc.
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
19 Mar 10
I wonder if it was a bias intimidation crime, too. I think someone thought of the most offensive statement they could make that would cause anger towards the store and then announced it over the PA.
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
19 Mar 10
I figure it was probably some moron prankster who was playing a joke.
It isn't funny and he should be found and prosecuted.
@PurpleTeddyBear (6685)
• Canada
19 Mar 10
Wow! That's horrible. I didn't realize that racism was still that bad in the US. I really hope that they catch the person that did that and make them pay. I also think that all of the phones that can make announcements should be off the floor! The best way to do that is to keep the phones behind the counter and make the rest of the employees wear headsets or two way radios!
@BarBaraPrz (45488)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Mar 10
And I bet there's still racism in Detroit, where approximately 85% of the population is black. (Heard that statistic on the radio last night.)
Maybe now the store will monitor all such phones.
