WTF? Over.
Bias crime. Bias intimidation crime?? When did bad taste, bad prank become a crime? I'm at a loss for words for; bias intimidation crime.
'All black people' told to leave NJ Wal-Mart
Staff Reporter | Posted March 18, 2010 11:39 AM
Imagine this. You're shopping at your neighborhood Wal-Mart store Sunday afternoon when you hear a voice on the P.A. system.
"Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now."
Sounds like a scene from apartheid South Africa or the pre-civil rights era segregated south. But it's actually what happened last Sunday at the Turnersville, New Jersey, Wal-Mart Supercenter Store.
Blacks complained to management, who in turn contacted the local police department in Washington Township. Police then opened an investigation with the county prosecutor's office. "The incident is being investigated by both law enforcement agencies as a suspected bias intimidation crime," officials told the press.
And the corporate office of Wal-Mart wasn't happy about the story or the negative publicity either. Wal-Mart is "just as appalled by this as anyone," a spokesman said. The company also described the incident as "unacceptable to us and to our customers" and said it was "reviewing our systems to prevent this from happening in the future.:
Now two black South Jersey women are boycotting Wal-Mart, while the company says they're still trying to figure out who made the announcement.
Patricia Covington and Shelia Ellington told reporters they're too upset to shop at the store again. "In 2010, I want to know why such statements are being made because it flies in the face of what we teach them at home, and that's tolerance for people," Ellington told the press.
Following the incident, a public apology was made Sunday evening on the same public address system.
The 24-hour superstore reportedly employees about 700 workers, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
James E. Harris, president of the New Jersey NAACP Conference told reporters that the incident underscores the need for more racial reconciliation. "Whether it was a prank or whether it was serious, the level of insensitivity is apparent and is a reminder there's still a need for people to work toward decency and equality," he said.
Articles written by a Staff Reporter are unsigned reports from a member of the staff.
