Prosecutor investigating NJ Walmart racial comment

yahoo.com ^ | March 18, 2010

[aruanan]

A male voice came over the system Sunday evening and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now."

Or did it say, "Attention, Walmar customer: All bla peepoh, leave da sto now"?

[pnh102]

Oh for cripes sake. IT WAS A PRANK. GET OVER IT!

[Blue Jays]

"...All crackas get out da store now..."

---

SirJohn, you are 100% correct.
As a caucasian, I would bust out laughing if I heard that broadcasted!
Then again, I also have a sense of humor, something sorely missing in urban America.

[Williams]

Just to be clear, this area is not urban. Very nice series of strip and big box stores, I was there tonight.

IF we lived in a white racist country, Walmart wouldn’t be apologizing and changing their public address systems, the government wouldn’t be offering counseling, the patrons wouldn’t be angrily protesting, and the prosecutor wouldn’t be investigating a possible “bias crime”.

If we did live in a racist country such an announcement would be troubling, however I can tell you that living in this area I have NEVER seen anything but black customers being given deferential service, but then let’s have AP turn something inconsaequential into a worldwide incident.

[Zeppo]

Office spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld said in the statement that its victim-witness unit has contacted the store's management, offering counseling services to anyone affected by the announcement. The county's Human Relations Commission was offering similar help. Officials say several people have come forward and expressed interest in getting counseling.

Counseling?

Really?

For what?!

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Wouldn’t make it right under the First Amendment, which is what I thought we were discussing.

My point was that your counter-example of yelling fire in a crowded theater is not relevant to a dicussion of a First Amendment case of prosecution for a bias crime.

Another example is defamation - if you slander a private person, those mere words are not protected by the First Amendment. But that also is not relevant to a discussion of a First Amendment case of prosecution for a bias crime.

I think if this is a bystander who grabbed the phone without authorization and said what he said, he is protected under the First Amendment from bias crime prosecution for the content of what he said. Maybe the store could get him for some sort of trespassing, however.

On the other hand, if it was an employee who grabbed the phone and said what he said, Wal-Mart may well be in violation of state anti-discrimination laws applicable to public accomodations.

[Greg123456]

I think the person should be prosecuted for corporate sabotage. He's trying to ruin the reputation of Walmart.

[doc1019]

Thank you. Obviously I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. ;-)

[DakotaRed]

This whole thing smells to high heaven. THe prosecutor and counseling service?

I would have loved to have heard the accent, if any, of the male voice making the announcement.

[terycarl]

Oh for cripes sake. IT WAS A PRANK. GET OVER IT

I agree, suddenly thin skins become legal challenges.....pathetic

[sig226]

Brandenburg v. Ohio

There's a more recent one, I think, but I can't recall the name. The Brandenburg rule says that the speech has to be intended to incite imminent, lawless action.

[freekitty]

They should start with the lefties.

[carmelanne]

It’s obvious to me that he just wanted them to move their Cadillacs from the handicap parking. The usual double parking in the fire lane was ok!

[doc1019]

Thanks, gives me a starting point. ;-)

[ThomasSawyer]

"'...several people have come forward and expressed interest in getting counseling.'

Setting the foundation for the flurry of Law suites."

Obviously these people do need to seek some psychiatric counseling that might assist them to GET A GRIP!!! Unfortunately the actual counseling they are looking for is probably of the legal variety to help them determine how much money they can milk this for.

[Kickass Conservative]

If THIS is a big deal, imagine if the guy used the “N” word when making the announcement.

What's next, some kids TPing the wrong house for goodness sakes?

We are a Nation of whimpering Children.

[airdalechief]

I find that very hard to believe.

[csense]

While it was unclear whether a rogue patron or an employee was responsible for the comment...

Is not racism predicated upon the race of the participants? Being mitigated by similarity rather dissimilarity? If we don't even know the racial component of the first half of the equation, then how are we to conclude, or even surmise, anything?