On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:52:41 -0700, "Bill McKee"
wrote:


"jps" wrote in message
.. .

File this under miraculous recoveries. John Herring is already up and
shopping at Walmart!!!


WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - 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."

Sounds like a Washington white person took over the PA system.


He's better ignored.
--

"You may give it away, but your honor can never be taken from you. Cherish it."
John H