On Black Friday 2008 (November 28), a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, NY became the scene of what I consider one of the most horrendous acts of inhumanity. A worker attempting to open the door at the Green Acres mall location at its 5:00 AM opening was pushed to the ground as the metal door was mangled by a massive crowd of what was estimated as 2,000 people, and he was trampled to death as indifferent shoppers flowed into the store in their anxious quest to spend their money on post-Thanksgiving bargains. Police officers administered CPR but the man was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later. A woman who is eight months pregnant was also taken to the hospital after getting jostled; mother and child fortunately should see Christmas this year.
When the store staff attempted to close the location due to the death, it is said that angry customers exclaimed that they had been waiting all night for the privilege of shopping and the melee continued. It is very likely that, had the Wal-Mart attempted to shut down, there would have been a seige.
Ladies and gentlemen of the human race, who the hell do we think we are? How can anybody who participated in that opening not be ashamed of themselves? How could a person pull out a penny or a credit card, or the cashiers continue with business, knowing that somebody got KILLED for a manufactured piece of commerce.
It’s a miserable enough time from the Friday after Thanksgiving to January 2, with US citizens starving to death, bankrupt, being beaten or abused or trying to conquer cancer. Yet the consumeristic cha-cha-cha continues right through human misery and death. Have you ever seen people so anxious, desperate, even begging for the privilege of giving their money over to a retail store. Isn’t it sad that they would kill for this year’s hot item and not blink an eye. It is enough to make the Almighty shudder in misery.
Maybe Wal-Mart should play the security tape on local and/or national television, so the world can see who shared the responsibility for this maniacal display. Surely the police are looking for those who destroyed the main door in their quest to race to that all-important bargain, and some accountability is needed for the sake of the dead man’s family. Unfortunately nobody can prosecute the evil in human nature with the same methods, but those who were there should feel guilty of passive participation at least.
Most of all, I feel for the gift recipients whose presents are tainted with the blood of a man whose family Christmas will never be the same again.
Susan's Scribblings the Blog 