Friday, November 20, 2009
Fate of racially-tinged WalMart line-cut scuffle may be determined today
Nearly three years ago Heather Ellis left her place in a WalMart checkout line to join another inthe small town of Kennet Missouri. What happened next has touched off a firestorm of debate around the country and embroiled the world's largest retailer in a public relations nightmare. Store clerks and witnesses say Ellis cut the line, shoved other patrons' articles aside on the conveyor belt, and was confrontational. Ellis maintains she simply joined the line with her cousin and was mistreated by a cashier who asked her for identification even though she was paying in cash, refused to return her change from her transaction, and spoke to her rudely. Management and ultimately the police were called to quell the uprising. Police allege Ellis was combative and hurling curses and insults; they say she kicked one officer in the shin and another in the face, splitting his lip. Ellis counters she was called a racial epithet and told to "go back to the ghetto". She also says police roughed her up in the process of arresting her.
Ellis was charged with assaulting police officers, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said the case is indicative of racial bias in the town, where 13 percent of the population is African-American. Ellis' supporters have held several peaceful rallies in the town which, unfortunately have drawn the attention of the racial hate group the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan is threatening racial violence if the rallies continue.
The court heard testimony yesterday and a verdict could be rendered as early as this afternoon. The schoolteacher could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the felony charges.
source: CNN
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ok, goodness knows that i love my people, but the rule of the lines is that if you leave, you lose your place. its still up the the people in line whether she can re-enter. its not like white people jumped in front of her. good decorum would have at least told her to go to the back of the line.
ReplyDeletei can't support my people in this case because she was wrong. if that was that much of an issue, she could have just left without buying anything. and then she's fighting with the police and crap. folks are just making this a racial issue.
let's be honest. she ACTED like a nigger and she probably got called one. hell if i was there, i would have called her a nigger too.
^^that's harsh. She probably showed her ass but that doesn't give the po-po the right to rough her up or call her a nigger.
ReplyDeletecosign to the bone with Malika-she showed her behind she could have took her tampons to the check it out your damnself line, case closed-otherwise, if you don't like how you're being treated somewhere,leave, take your business elsewhere
ReplyDeleteI think thatass will be doing some jail time. Not 15 years because this has gotten so much attention. Probably 3 years plus probation. I wonder how that will go over with her state trooper fiance?
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