Raw Footage - Occupy Ann Arbor - Black Friday 2011 Flash Mob protest at Wal-mart in Saline, MI

[Sillyjake86]

Bunch of hippies

[paularickele89]

I used to work for WalMart. I took time off work after I had a miscarriage and they told me I couldn't do a Medical Leave beause I was only there for 5 months, they fired me (even tho I had a note from the hospital saying to stay in bed for 7 days), and then they tell me after I'm fired that I should have taken a Medical Leave. I hate that f****** store

[paularickele89]

@paularickele89 and I was on state assistance while working there. Now making 8 dollars an hour at my new job, I make more money and can't get state assistance anymore cause i don't have kids

[geeka4life]

Walmart rules

[babydollN]

my good friend who is a gay female works at walmart and makes a good salary and is not discriminated against. i'm sorry, but this lost my support for the movement.

[hobbit4life]

hey i worked at walmart and waS MAKING ALMOST 10$ AN HOURS it was a grate job and theys people r just mad cuse they cant get a job to pay for the shit they like and want bc they sit around and bitch instead of getting a real job get over your self 99% and the old lady with the black coat had a walmart basket so i guess she still shops at walmart and she was all in to what was being said with her hand in the air and saying thank u to the workers like she wasnt going to go and look at thos

[hobbit4life]

@hobbit4life 16$ pants and say wow what a grate deal i should get 16 pairs i realy thiing that people r just looking for a reason to yell and bitch how bout stop blaming other for your short comings

[kiliankray]

YOU GO RICHARD SIMMONS !!!!!!!!!! YOU TELL THEM FAT WALMART GIRLS...

[txcrawl]

was meatloaf the lead speaker?

[kamuelaak04]

Glad that one wal mart is now some what educated thanks!

[gearsdan]

this was the worst porno ever

[Camixxxxxxxxxx]

I support, after I get my $99 kinect ;-) jk

[cgdj31]

2:17 call in the rienforcements

[jnet43229]

@lindseystone you think the economy is fine and black Friday is proof? If the economy was fine people wouldn't be willing to run each other over to save a couple bucks on towels and waffle makers. I think the opposite. I think that proves the severity of the problem that folks are willing to hurt strangers to make sure they can provide a decent Christmas for their families. And major corporations just perpetuate that desperation with their one day only marketing tactics. It's kinda sad.

[jnet43229]

@meltdown53 I consider myself part of the 99% and Ive never heard anyone say we are against technology..I just disagree with a major company getting a tax break or a bailout or laying off entry level workers because they supposedly broke but the CEO gets a fat bonus check..does that make sense to you?

[jnet43229]

@minimusmax your logic would have continued to enable segregation among other injustices. Making your their voices heard, at minimum, has started a conversation, which provokes new thought and leads to change. "Yes we can"

[dwart420]

ahh the trolls are at it again, i bet they bought there clothes there before the left

[hobbit4life]

@dwart420 hell they did the lady in the black coat at the end and tho the hold video was carring a walmart basikt i bet she went and got thos 16$ pants lol

[PissedOffChurchLady]

We're very happy, she says. I wonder if she saw the pictures of the children who have died making things for Walmart, she'd repeat that. Boycott Walmart. It's evil to the core

[PissedOffChurchLady]

Big Box stores are the bain of our society. Boycott them.

[TheBogusTurtle]

its like some learn to read day for idiots lol

[koolasvegan1]

Thank you for posting this video. Wal-Mart is a shitty ass store when it comes to workers rights and they do the most injustice to women and minorities. They suck as to the wages women get compared to men and also women moving up in the ranks of the company. I boycott Wal-Mart because of it! Hail to Target and Kmart/Sears, down with Wal-Mart!!!

[minimusmax]

Although I agree with what they're saying, these protesters believe they're immune to rules and laws for some reason. The guy told them that filming was against store policy yet his he kept recording saying "We're almost done".... if these people are do-gooders, why do they disregard rules thinking for some reason they're exempt?

[LindsayStone]

@minimusmax we don't think we are exempt, it's a form of protest called civil disobedience, many of us were even prepared for arrest if it had come to that.

[greydawn91]

@LindsayStone thats kinda retarded. all of you should be arrested cause you ARE breaking the rules. if you are willing to be arrested for some stupid protest, then you should just be put in jail until you realize its just not worth it anymore. stores like walmart drive the economy. and people like to have jobs. you must know that all of these worthless protests are falling on deaf ears, just like the wall street one. its not gonna make a difference so stop being a hippie and get a productive job

[krejasiSMA]

As a female, average employee of this walmart I must say, these protesters were uninformed. Our head store manager is female. Most of our management is female. We all work hard and don't see the point of this sort of disruption. We all have jobs in a tough economy. That's something to celebrate, not demean.

[LindsayStone]

@krejasiSMA Just because your store is one of the lucky ones to have a larger percent of female management, does not mean it is so for the company as a whole. If you read our script you would read that there was nothing in there to demean the employees of Wal-Mart. I'm glad you have a job, but the fact is that Wal-Mart actually cost taxpayers a lot of money. Most Wal-Marts get tax breaks for many years when they move into a new location, but at the same time they cost the taxpayers.

[LindsayStone]

@krejasiSMA (continue) I'm glad you have a job, and myself along with the others who were thee protesting do not hold any blame for you working there, in this economy you do what you must do. Thing is the employees of Wal-Mart deserve better, and should demand better from their employer. The facts we read of were not false, they were very well researched, and double checked of a period of a week, our protest is not about 1 store it's about the company as a whole.

[LindsayStone]

@krejasiSMA also if you noticed we made sure not to take baskets and fill them up with things, only to leave them to create more work for you guys. We were not there to cause more problems for the employees, and we made sure to keep that in mind.

[LtFluffelz]

Miserable 60 year old single lady with no life or future prospect and no financial responsibilities who probably lives at her daughter's house with 7 cats: "Were very happy here, thank you"

[june7rose]

Good for you. Someone had to do something other than assault their neighbors for a video game and then call it the spirit of the season.

[slashergrl]

I think I would have joined your chant if I was working in that Walmart store.

I did work at Walmart because they were the only store that hired me and for a higher pay above the minimum wage. And they kept giving me full time.

Right now I'm stuck working for a different dept store for minimum wage. Not saying Walmart is good but it isn't the only one! :)

[prepboy1001]

Wow, 22 of you? So many...

[DualGameMedia]

So where are you supposed to buy things that are essentials, if walmart is the only store within 50 miles!

[essejhcaor]

OMG walmart is so evil i mean how dare them giving us good deals what jerks

[MackKnife9999]

The leader there certainly isn't starving.

[LindsayStone]

@MackKnife9999 interesting how you can't really comment on the message. Also for the record I was the one reading the call outs, but certainly am not the leader because in our movement we are all leaders because there are no leaders. As far as me starving just so you know I actually only eat about once per day, but no I'm not starving.

[MackKnife9999]

@LindsayStone The point is you embody excess, yet you stand on your pedestal preaching to others to avoid it. The principle of excess is the same regardless of how applied. Think of how many you could feed if you avoided overindulgence. I think you are a hypocrite with a simple-minded misunderstanding of how things work in the world.

[LindsayStone]

@MackKnife9999 thing is I don't eat in excess as you might think, you are completely wrong in your opinion. You see someone overweight and you assume it's because they eat so much, without taking into account that they might actually be so poor that they can't afford to buy healthy foods, and instead live off of crap they can afford. Also when someone only eats once a a day their metabolism actually slows down causing them to maintain excess weight.

[MackKnife9999]

@LindsayStone You have trained your mind to believe that you are a victim. The hardest thing you will ever do in your life (if you want to live well) is to reconfigure your understanding of the world around you and take ownership of your decisions. You can lie to yourself, but no lies accepted here. If you want to continue this, you can email me at emm5001@yahoo.com

[BufordStone]

@MackKnife9999 You have shut your mind off from the world around you. You're the moron.

[MackKnife9999]

@BufordStone Yah, well you're a purple people eater :) Let's hear it...enlighten us with thy wisdom as to what part of the world my mind fails to observe.

[BufordStone]

@MackKnife9999 100 million live at or near the poverty line, but hey, if only they took responsibility.

[LindsayStone]

@MackKnife9999 the smallest I've ever been in my life has been 230 lbs. That's not small, I've never been small, and after falling into a deep depression for several years which went untreated due to lack of insurance or funds to afford to deal with it. So before you make assumptions that all people who are overweight are full of gluttony you might with to consider not all is so cut and dry as simply eating too much.

[Frink14]

If you believe Walmart is evil, then protest every customer in there and tell them not to spend a dime in Walmart.

[LindsayStone]

@Frink14 If you would have read the script, or watched the video you would see that we did that, by encouraging the shoppers to shop local, also we link to a website with a list of local businesses to help provide a resource for them to be able to do so.

[WickedFairyEssence]

Oh, and there is chance for advancement over at walmart. My mom has been offered higher up positions for years.

[LindsayStone]

@WickedFairyEssence well then she is in the 15% who have had that chance, good for her.

[WickedFairyEssence]

Well, a lot to do with the reason why companies outsource to other countries is because of the laws that the U.S. has in place. So, I think the U.S. has to work on getting rid of those laws before the businesses start opening up more factories here; but then again, who knows if they'll come back since it'll still probably be more cheaper to outsource to third world countries. And I don't think telling people to stop shopping at walmart will help either.

[LindsayStone]

@WickedFairyEssence We encouraged people to shop local, and we encouraged employees to stand up for themselves and demand better. Not once did we criticize the shoppers or the employees, you can read the fully script we read in the description.

[WickedFairyEssence]

@LindsayStone I'm sorry, I did read the description because I couldn't understand what they were saying; I must have misread then, my bad.

[Photobunce]

@WickedFairyEssence You're kidding right? Corporations have it so good many of them pay no taxes and STILL gets millions in refunds. Then move jobs over seas because of their greed. Not laws, but cheap labor. Taking jobs from Americans who just gave them millions in tax revenue.

Walmart purposely pays their employees below livable wage so the tax payers foot the bill though assistance.

Getting people to boycott companies that hurt the American people will get results.

[patriotgateheep]

lame

[devin016]

About damn time, but no one ever listens, goes in one ear and out the other....

[taylorcustomdesigns]

Wow. You people REALLY need to get a life. There is so much more going on in the world that deserve this kind of attention and protesting. How about you go and find an actual cause to be passionate about, rather than just being pathetic sheep, and following the latest and coolest political issue bandwagon.

[LindsayStone]

@taylorcustomdesigns Funny thing is you criticize however you offer no solutions, also so you know our cause is mainly the economy and the inequality of the working class (what few are still able to find jobs). Wal-mart my friend was and is a a perfect example of a company that had helped destroy local economy as well as exploit workers and have caused fewer jobs in communities. So I don't think this is a bandwagon.

[UFCextra]

@LindsayStone I don't care about these bull shit issues. The economy is perfectly fine and black friday is more than enough proof

[ETM4Real]

I got an idea don't work at Walmart, problem solved!!

[LindsayStone]

@ETM4Real don't think that solves the problem, as some people that's all they have. when there is only 1 job for every 4 unemployed survival tends to kick in.

[Tukuklan]

good shit

[darkestdaysx]

xD I LIVE in Saline. Wish I could've been here to see this!

[MrSomeGamerdude]

ether that an typo on the description or this was film in the future and brought back to 2011 0.O

[LindsayStone]

@MrSomeGamerdude haha it was typo, too bad we can't jump to the future right.

[NewEffort]

So, anyone have protests scheduled for Cyber Monday? Or is it completely cool to bypass buying anything in the local community while mortar and brick bookstores, music outlets, and electronics stores go under because of places like Amazon?

Whatever damage was done to local businesses by the big box stores was done decades ago. The local businesses that survived aren't going anywhere. Going after online retailers might actually save a few jobs in this economy.

[LindsayStone]

@NewEffort You do realized that a huge majority of the products sold at Amazon are actually sold my independent small businesses right, and the orders are fulfilled by those small businesses. I happen to work for one of those very businesses that sells their products on Amazon and Ebay. I can assure you that they are family owned and there are only about 5 of us that work there, as we are that small, also there are a few other small businesses that sell on there also, our products.

[LindsayStone]

@NewEffort I do however see your point in some way, but many online retailers are not Amazon, or the likes.

[hholycoww]

Um ok in that store, the number of female employees including management greatly out number male employees, fail

[LindsayStone]

@hholycoww well just because one store is "ok" that means they all are?

[Plassmann1]

Good for you guys!! Walmart is destroying our country. Thank you. Keep up the fight.

[kkrumenacker]

"we're on your side, hon." -I wonder if he realizes how demeaning that sounded...

[LindsayStone]

@kkrumenacker I know who said that and I can assure you he did not mean it in a demeaning way at all

[kkrumenacker]

@LindsayStone I didn't say he meant it in a demeaning way. Intention and perception are two different things. The women there were telling them that they were happy with their working conditions, and he says "we're on your side, hon"? That comes across like he's talking to a child.

[neffrotiti]

Fuck Wallmart have not shopped there in 3 years they are the devil

[AriloeuLaleelae]

@neffrotiti Walmart advertises career criminals out in front of their stores posing as charities, soliciting "work" so they can break into homes and steal. Then they extort you in writing to get your property back while the police threaten to arrest you if you don't pay the ransom. Beware of Walmart and beware the Coalition for the Homeless and police - they steal cars. Call assistant D.A. Robert S. Tobias 614-645-8940 and tell him to prosecute these criminals.

[LindsayStone]

@travel1949 All 22 of us have jobs or are in college, 2 of us lawyers, 1 social worker, a couple of IT people and so on.

Also on the get a job response, it's not really a valid response when there are 4 unemployed to every 1 available job, you do that math.

[travel1949]

@LindsayStone... you are protesting the wrong people, Washington is where you should be, that is where the problem lies, NOT the local store...

[ibmethatswhoib69]

Nice! Keep it up!!

[dstory69]

Keep spreading the word. Keep pushing these sheeple to use their brains. Keep fighting for America's future...

[Photobunce]

Bravo! A wonderful job, you People! Nicely done and I'm glad you had a peaceful even passive employees to work with. I hope it is because they know you are right.

[katewerk]

It's really time someone introduced these idiots to the baseball bat department.

[Photobunce]

@katewerk Violence is a horrible way to go, Besides you'll never get close enough to the CEOs to do so. ;)

[znmcmhn]

@katewerk What's at the Baseball Bat department ?

[drackmire2]

Did they miss the memo that stated Walmart was actually not doing this as a practice? The courts ruled in favor. These people need to go back to school, get an education, and find a job instead of wasting everyone's time.

[LindsayStone]

@drackmire2 All 22 of us involved in the protest today all have jobs, or are college students, two of us were lawyers, a couple of us are IT, Graphic Designers and such. As far as the get a job argument, when there are only 1 job available for every 4 unemployed this is not an easy task for some. I would also like to point out that many jobs are also unavailable due to many people having to work 2 and 3 jobs in order to support their families due to the high cost of living in today's world

[LindsayStone]

@LindsayStone and the low wages people get paid in proportion to that.

[Photobunce]

@LindsayStone I wish the right wing fox propaganda would just get cleared up. The things they believe about the movement are ridiculous!

[LindsayStone]

@Photobunce I know right, thing is they don't want the truth because then they have nothing to bitch about.

[drackmire2]

@LindsayStone You mean the high cost of buying too many things, having too many children, and just generally being fiscally irresponsible? Stop supporting them, and stop catering to their cries for help. They put themselves in their position.

[gastonbites]

33BMX33 should have finished high school if (s)he wanted to post on a public forum critiquing the GOOD WORK of other people, who- by the way- are fighting for the rights that (s)he doesnt even know (s)he is giving up.

[gastonbites]

In solidarity, Sisters and Brothers! Keep up the peace, Keep up the fight! (Great facts, too, by the way!)

[LindsayStone]

@gastonbites Thanks and right back at you In Solidarity!

[33BMX33]

well shit they should have went to collage if they didnt want to fucking work at walmart no need for this dumb shit

[LindsayStone]

@33BMX33 Just so you know there is an average of about 4 people unemployed for every 1 job available, so you do the math... Your solution is not a valid solution, I know people with BAs who are working at Wal-Mart or the equivalent due to lack of job opportunities.

[33BMX33]

@LindsayStone true true didn't think about that thanks

[MissPiggy42O]

OMG!

[MissPiggy42O]

omg!

[znmcmhn]

Thank you for posting LindsayStone : ) From Occupy Brisbane

[LindsayStone]

@znmcmhn Thank you fellow Occupier, in solidarity!