Wal-Mart probing racist store announcement

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

‘All black people leave the store now,’ public-address system said Sunday

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. officials are reviewing security tapes to try to determine who used a southern New Jersey store's public-address system to tell "all black people" to leave.

On Sunday evening at the Washington Township store, a male voice calmly announced: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now."

Witnesses told the Courier-Post newspaper that customers and store employees looked stunned. Management later apologized.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35910010/

[mdmc]

1. We used to use the intercom at our local mom n pop box store backin da day

[RedCloud]

2. What's next? All made in China products please leave store?

[demosincebirth]

7. The shelves would be empty.

[Jamastiene]

12. That would start a stampede.

It would be a mess.

[Newsjock]

3. From a friend who used to work at Walmart

"Mind you, anyone can access the PA system in any Wal-Mart by picking up any black phone and dialing #96."

[rcrush]

4. Oh really? Almost makes me want to go to Walmart to play with the intercom!

[pattmarty]

9. REEEEALY?????????? You did say #96 (NINETY-SIX), right?

[sandyj999]

10. When I worked at Target someone got on the phone over the PA and started shouting obscenities

That access was soon corrected.

[47of74]

18. That's what it was back in the 90s

Don't know what it is now after the changes that were made.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

5. Bachmann moonlights at WalMart. How 'bout that. nt

[warm regards]

6. I'm sure there are some attorneys probing this matter for an angle as well.

[Socal31]

8. And hopefully they waste a bunch of time that they could be doing something else with.

Are we really to the point where an idiot kid or inbred who thinks he is being funny should involve lawyers?

[No Elephants]

13. Which lawyers are involved again?

[warm regards]

17. Unfortunately, yes. Walmart has deep pockets.

[awoke_in_2003]

11. Well, it was probably cocktail time...

(for you youngins, here is Eddy Murphy when he was funny):
http://www.hulu.com/watch/10356/saturday-night-live-white-like-me

[No Elephants]

14. It's always racist time somewhere.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. Did you watch the SNL skit?

I was referencing that, not condoning what happened at walmart.

[bigworld]

15. Why is this even news?

Obviously just a stupid prank.

[47of74]

19. Teen charged with 2d Wal-Mart announcement

I just saw this story where a teen was arrested and charged for doing this on the intercom.

WASHINGTON TWP., NJ - A 16-year-old Atlantic County boy arrested after the racially tinged announcement at the Turnersville Wal-Mart this month did the same thing Dec. 28, police reported yesterday.

The youth, whose name has not been released because he is a juvenile, is now charged with two counts each of harassment and bias intimidation, Washington Township police said.

He is accused of announcing over a Wal-Mart telephone March 14 that "all the black people" should leave the store, on Route 42. Police arrested him after examining surveillance cameras and social Web sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Wal-Mart representatives have apologized and secured their public address system to prevent future problems.