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

On Black Friday 2011, 22 citizens entered the Wal-Mart in Saline. WE entered the big box store in order to alert and educate the misguided costumers of the terrible practices of Wal-Mart. Our message was projected through the Human Microphone first utilized at Occupy Wall Street. Wal-Mart employees and security attempted to silence our collective voices, but were extremely cooperative and generous with their time and allowed us to finish. We gathered in the women's clothing section, and began with a resounding MIC CHECK! and read from a script prepared prior to our action. During which members of our group passed out business cards with a QR code and a link to a website created to continue education and awareness of consumers. Some employees and some customers responded negatively to our action, but on the whole we seemed to be received positively. We concluded by emphasizing that while we are disgusted with Wal marts practices, our action was to demonstrate love, concern and support of the employees working there. Ending in a resounding cheer, we left the store, offering information cards and thanking our fellow (comrades?) out in the parking lot we cheered and chanted THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE and WE ARE THE 99%. as we left the property we were stopped by a police woman, who very honorably respected our right to remain silent.

The direct action taken was highly successful and we feel we have reached out to employees, customers and our community in a fantastic performance of guerilla action.

The Script:

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers:

We are here/ to acknowledge/ that low prices,/ come with a high cost,/ both locally and globally:

750 thousand women/ work as "sales associates"/ in Wal-Mart stores.

These women /are paid wages/ well below the poverty level

Half of those women /qualify for federal assistance.

*Wal-Mart drives down wages/ in urban areas,/ with an annual lost/earnings of at least $4.47 billion dollars/ for retail workers.

A "full-time" Wal-Mart employee/ must work / 1646 years/ in order to accumulate/ what the Wal-Mart CEO/ receives for one year.

Wal-Mart's refusal to pay American's living wage costs Taxpayers over 1 billion dollars to Support its Employees

1 Wal-Mart store with 200 employees costs federal taxpayers over 400 thousand dollars per year.

Wal-Mart's health care plan fails to cover nearly 700,000 employees.

Thousands of employees and their children across the nation are on Federal and State health insurance plans.

Women who work for Wal-Mart make up more than two-thirds of its hourly employees, but hold only one-third of managerial positions.

Only 15 percent of Wal-Mart store managers are women.

Wal-Mart has played a major role in the outsourcing of American jobs overseas.

Wal-Mart now imports over 50 percent of its merchandise from overseas.

Wal-Mart has used its tremendous power in the marketplace to bully American firms into moving their production facilities overseas and are required to keep prices low at all costs, even if it requires forcing employees to work in sweatshop conditions.

Women who make pants in El Salvador earn 15 cents for each pair; Wal-Mart sells these pants for about $16.

Women in Central America who make clothes for Wal-Mart live in shacks lacking running water or plumbing.

Women in China live nine to twelve to a room in government-provided dormitories.

A new Wal-Mart destroys jobs by putting local merchants out of business, in return Wal-Mart creates fewer jobs with lower pay and mostly part-time.




We the 99% encourage you to as a shopper to be aware, of where your money is going, to support local business which tend to offer better working conditions, and chance for advancement.




To the employees of Wal-Mart, please know you are not to blame, know that you have a voice, you have the power to take a stand, and know that we are the 99% and stand behind you.

http://awareshopper.wordpress.com/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Protest Ann Arbor
• Michigan
• Black Friday
• Occupy Ann Arbor
• Occupy Wall Street
• Wall Mart
• OWS
• OAA
• Walmart
• Flash Mob
• buy local

[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.

[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 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.

[ETM4Real]

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

[gearsdan]

this was the worst porno ever

[Sillyjake86]

Bunch of hippies

[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

[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

[BufordStone]

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

[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]

@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

[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

[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

[kiliankray]

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