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The altercation went down like this, according to The Sun:

Cox told the court that the fight broke out about 11 a.m. at the store. He said witnesses reported first seeing the two women pulling each other’s hair, then seeing Odoms spraying something at Jefferson.

Jefferson then reached for a bottle of bleach from a shelf, opened the bottle and poured the bleach on Odoms, Cox said. Odoms then grabbed a bottle of Pine-Sol and spilled it on Jefferson, he said.

The two chemicals combined to create fumes that sickened some customers. The store was closed for cleaning and ventilation, and reopened at 2 p.m.

In October, Theresa M. Jefferson and 38-year old Ebony Odoms were involved in a fracas inside the store, shutting down the Wal-Mart for several hours. Jefferson would plead guilty to second-degree assault charges, later being slapped with the sentence in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Judge Robert E. Cathill ordered Jefferson during the hearing earlier today to “stay out of Wal-Mart.” As reported by the “Baltimore Sun,” Jefferson must stay away from all local Wal-Marts during her 5-year probation period. During the fight, the store had to be closed as several patrons fell ill due to the combination of fumes caused by the bleach and Pine-Sol mixing. Jefferson was remorseful regarding her involvement in the fight, vowing that there will not be a repeat of her actions.

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I definitely would apologize that the incident escalated to the level it did,” said Jefferson. She further added that the fight was “a humiliating and embarrassing experience, one that won’t happen again.”

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No government recall had been ordered for the 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn powder with the lot number ZP1K7G. Manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition said its records showed the lot tested negative for the bacterium before it was shipped.

But Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said the company decided to pull the lot “out of an abundance of caution” while health officials investigate Sunday’s death of 10-day-old Avery Cornett. The product could go back on shelves depending on the outcome of the investigation, but customers who bought the cans have the option of returning them for a refund or exchange, Gee said.

Gena Terlizzi, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said Wednesday that samples of the formula given to Avery were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing.

“At this point it has not been determined whether the illness is linked to the formula or an outside source,” Terlizzi said in a statement.

The Lebanon Daily Record reported (http://bit.ly/vwyAs5 ) that Avery was taken to St. John’s Hospital-Lebanon late last week after appearing lethargic and displaying what his family said were signs of a stomach ache. He was later moved to St. John’s Hospital-Springfield, and preliminary tests showed that he had contracted a rare bacterial infection, Cronobacter sakazakii, the newspaper reported. He died Sunday after being removed from life support.

Avery had been fed Enfamil Newborn powder bought at a Walmart store in Lebanon. The store stopped selling the product after learning of his death.

Christopher Perille, a spokesman for Glenview, Ill.-based Mead Johnson Nutrition, said Enfamil Newborn powder is sold at a variety of retailers, but he didn’t have information about whether other companies received units from the lot now being investigated.

Perille said all of the company’s infant formula products are put through a battery of tests as they are produced, packaged and sealed.

“One of the things every batch of product is tested for is Cronobacter,” Perille said. “We went back and checked on the batch in question, and it had tested negative for Cronobacter.”

Public health investigators seeking the source of Avery’s infection will also look at environmental factors, such as the water used in preparing the powdered formula, and at anything else the baby might have ingested, Perille said.

The Missouri Department of Health is advising parents to follow World Health Organization guidelines for safely preparing powdered infant formula, Terlizzi said.

“This includes washing your hands with soap and water, thoroughly sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for only one feeding at a time,” she said.

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Construction for the museum is scheduled to begin next year and a planned grand opening is set for 2015.

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“We are grateful to Wal-Mart for its commitment to help educate people — all people — to the unique role African-Americans played in our nation’s growth and history,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

Read more at BET.com

A new op-ed on The Root written by Sherrilyn Ifill talks about Wal-Mart’s victory over female workers in a gender discrimination lawsuit and the implications of the decision.

Did the Supreme Court tell Americans with this decision that the bigger a corporation is, the harder it will be defeat them in a case of this magnitude? Did they reject the notion of modern workplace bias?

Read more at The Root

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Wal-Mart Defeats Female Workers In Sex Bias Case

WASHINGTON  — The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a massive sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart on behalf of female employees in a decision that makes it harder to mount large-scale bias claims against the nation’s biggest companies.

The justices all agreed that the lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cannot proceed as a class action in its current form, reversing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. But they split 5-4 along ideological lines over whether the plaintiffs should in essence get another chance to make their case.

The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million women, with Wal-Mart facing potentially billions of dollars in damages.

Now, the handful of women who brought the case may pursue their claims on their own, with much less money at stake and less pressure on Wal-Mart to settle. Two of the named plaintiffs, Christine Kwapnoski and Betty Dukes, attended the argument. Kwapnoski is an assistant manager at a Sam’s Club in Concord, Calif. Dukes is a greeter at the Wal-Mart in Pittsburg, Calif.

The ruling could make it much harder to mount similar class-action discrimination lawsuits against large employers.

The majority agreed with Wal-Mart’s argument that being forced to defend the treatment of female employees regardless of the jobs they hold or where they work is unfair.

Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion for the court’s conservative majority said there needs to be common elements tying together “literally millions of employment decisions at once.”

But Scalia said that in the lawsuit against the nation’s largest private employer, “That is entirely absent here.”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the court’s four liberal justices, said there was more than enough uniting the claims. “Wal-Mart’s delegation of discretion over pay and promotions is a policy uniform throughout all stores,” Ginsburg said.

Business interests lined up with Wal-Mart while civil rights, women’s and consumer groups have sided with the women plaintiffs.

Both sides have painted the case as extremely consequential. The business community has said that a ruling for the women would lead to a flood of class-action lawsuits based on vague evidence. Supporters of the women feared that a decision in favor of Wal-Mart could remove a valuable weapon for fighting all sorts of discrimination.

“The court has told employers that they can rest easy, knowing that the bigger and more powerful they are, the less likely their employees will be able to join together to secure their rights.” said Marcia D. Greenberger, co-president of the National Women’s Law Center. “The women of Wal-Mart, together with women everywhere, will now face a far steeper road to challenge and correct pay and other forms of discrimination in the workplace.”

The lawsuit, citing what are now dated figures from 2001, said that women are grossly underrepresented among managers, holding just 14 percent of store manager positions compared with more than 80 percent of lower-ranking supervisory jobs that are paid by the hour. Wal-Mart responded that women in its retail stores made up two-thirds of all employees and two-thirds of all managers in 2001.

The company also has said its policies prohibit discrimination and that it has taken steps since the suit was filed to address problems, including posting job openings electronically.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Wal-Mart’s highly awaited Black Friday ad promises hot deals on high-definition TVs, Blu-ray players, laptops and holiday gift favorites such as toys and DVDs, according to a copy of the retailer’s circular obtained by CNNMoney.com on Saturday.

The world’s largest retailer promised last month that it would do whatever was necessary to be the most competitive on prices during the year-end holiday shopping season.

A quick look through Wal-Mart’s circular shows that the discounter is ready to take on its rivals, especially in the key electronics and toys categories.

Among the doorbuster deals the circular advertises: the 32-inch Emerson 720p LCD HDTV for $198; 42-inch Emerson 1080p LCD HDTV for $398; 42-inch LG 1080p LCD HDTV for $478; Magnavox Wi-Fi Blu-ray player (with a $10 credit for on-demand movie service Vudu) for $68; 8GB iPod Touch for $225, plus a $50 Wal-Mart gift card; Kodak C183 14-megapixel 3-inch LCD digital camera for $59; and an HP 15.6-inch 250 GB harddrive laptop for $298.

Doorbusters also include $7 and $8 videogames, more than 90 DVD movie titles for $1.96, and Blu-ray disc movies for $5 and $10.

According to the circular, Wal-Mart will unveil some Black Friday deals in stores on midnight — while other, juicier “doorbuster” bargains will be available while supplies last from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

A company spokesman confirmed that most Wal-Mart stores will open at midnight that day.

Read entire article at CNN.com

A suspected Walmart shoplifter who hid from police in a dumpster may have chosen too good of a hiding spot.

The suspect, identified as James Brienzo, saw the police and jumped into a dumpster to hide. When a garbage truck picked up the dumpster with Brienzo inside, he was able to call a friend for help.

He was in a lot of pain,” said an Alliance Police Officer on the scene. “He had been compacted several times. He was just begging us to empty the truck.”

Read The Whole Story

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EDGEWATER, N.J. — Police in northern New Jersey say a 14-year-old girl grabbed a supermarket microphone and announced, “All blacks leave the store.”

The case is nearly identical to what happened on two occasions at a southern New Jersey Walmart.

Edgewater police say the new case is being investigated as a possible “copycat” situation. They say they were called after the girl made the announcement over the Whole Foods Market’s public-address system Saturday afternoon.

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The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, is charged with bias intimidation and harassment.

In the Walmart case, a 16-year-old boy faces the same charges after police said he twice ordered all blacks to leave the store.

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What is it about Wal-Mart that breeds so much trouble? It isn’t clear whether or not the person who made the announcement was an employee or just an intrepid racist shopper who found their way to the P.A. system microphone. Either way, apart from being ignorant, this stunt sounds really juvenile. The store later used the announcement system to apologize, but some shoppers have opted to boycott the store over the incident. That response doesn’t seem particularly well-thought out: Isn’t a boycott a roundabout way of giving the announcer exactly what he wanted? – NewsOne

From CNN.com:

(CNN) — Police in New Jersey arrested a teenager in connection with a public-address-system announcement telling “all blacks” to leave a Wal-Mart store, a police spokesman said.

The 16-year-old boy is from Atlantic County, New Jersey, said deputy police chief John Dalesandro of the Washington Township Police Department. The suspect was arrested Friday in Atlantic County on bias intimidation and harassment charges, police said in a statement Saturday. He is in custody of his parents, police said.

UPDATED 03.17.10 – Announcement Told “All Black People” To Leave N.J. Wal-Mart

From MSNBC:

Wal-Mart officials are looking at security tapes after an announcement was made for “all black people” to leave a store in South Jersey.

A man used the public-address system at the Route 42 store in Washington Township Sunday night and calmly announced: “Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now.”

Patricia Covington and Shelia Ellington were inside the store when it happened and told the Courier Post that customers and store employees looked stunned when they heard it.

“In 2010, I want to know why such statements are being made because it flies in the face of what we teach them [our kids] at home, and that’s tolerance for people,” said Ellington.

Ellington and other customers let store management and police know they were upset.

They asked the store to use the same announcement system to apologize to customers that night, which it did.

Wal-Mart management called the incident “unacceptable,” and said it’s working to make sure nothing like this happens at any other stores.

Click here to read more.

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From ABC News:

Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll’s white counterpart at one store and possibly others.

A photo first posted to the humor Web site FunnyJunk.com and later to the Latino Web site Guanabee.com shows packages of Mattel’s Ballerina Barbie and Ballerina Theresa dolls hanging side by side at an unidentified store. The Theresa dolls, which feature brown skin and dark hair, are marked as being on sale at $3.00. The Barbies to the right of the Theresa dolls, meanwhile, retain their original price of $5.93. The dolls look identical aside from their color.

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Editors at Guanabee.com said the person responsible for the photo told the Web site that it was taken at a Louisiana Walmart store. The person did not return e-mails from ABCNews.com.

A Walmart spokeswoman, who could not verify the exact store shown in the photo, said that the price change on the Theresa doll was part of the chain’s efforts to clear shelf space for its new spring inventory.

Click here to read more.

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From the NY Times:

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — A small group of West African men who came to the Rockies in search of economic opportunity are embroiled in a dispute with Wal-Mart, accusing it of a raft of discriminatory actions. Most say they were dismissed because supervisors wanted to give their jobs to local people in need of work.

Wal-Mart, which has a history of discrimination and labor complaints but has increased efforts to promote diversity at its stores, denies the accusations.

A spokesman, Greg Rossiter, said most of the men who had filed the complaints were part of a larger group of 90 employees of all different backgrounds dismissed last year after a management change at a store in Avon, Colo.

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“These allegations just don’t accurately reflect the working environment at these stores,” Mr. Rossiter said. “We have a diverse group of associates, including many from West Africa, who are finding good career opportunities.”

In complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the 10 men said they had all worked for Wal-Mart for a few years, mostly without incident, at a variety of jobs at three stores in Avon, Glenwood Springs and Rifle.

But things changed in 2008 and 2009, when new managers took over the stores, according to the complaints as well as interviews here with four of the men, who continue to gather weekly at a cramped apartment and talk of their hopes of getting new jobs.

Click here to read more.

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ATLANTA – A Georgia man has been found guilty of second degree child cruelty for slapping a crying 2-year-old at a Walmart.

Roger Stephens of Stone Mountain was convicted Tuesday in a Gwinnett County bench trial, which is held without a jury.

Stephens, who was 61 when arrested, will spend six months in jail followed by six months of home confinement.

Authorities say the girl and her mother were shopping on Aug. 31, when the toddler began crying. The police report says Stephens approached the mother and said, “If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you.”

Authorities say Stephens then slapped her four or five times.

According to police, Stephens said: “See, I told you I would shut her up.”

A call to Stephens’ court-appointed lawyer was not immediately returned.

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Police in Newnan County, Georgia, arrested Katt Williams yesterday (December 4), after a disturbance involving a shotgun at a local Walmart outside of Atlanta.

Police responded to a 911 call that claimed there were “problems” with the comedian and that someone pulled out a shotgun during the fracas.

Sources stated that Williams and his entourage were involved in a dispute with another group in the parking lot of the Walmart in Newnan, Georgia.

In addition to Williams, several man in his entourage who were also possibly connected to the disturbance at the Wal Mart were arrested.

Click here to read more.

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KENNETT, Mo. – A black school teacher who claimed white police officers abused and assaulted her agreed Friday to a plea deal.

The deal allows Heather Ellis, 24, to avoid a felony conviction for her part in a January 2007 scuffle that began over cutting in line at a Wal-Mart.

RELATED: OPINION: Heather Ellis Reaches Plea Deal, But I’ve Still Got Questions

The case drew national attention because of its racial overtones: Ellis is black and the customer she argued with, the assistant store manager and police officers are white.

Race was not prominently discussed in Ellis’ trial. However, prosecutor Morley Swingle said in his closing statement that Ellis and other defense witnesses were trying to portray Kennett, a southeast Missouri town that is about 13 percent black, as “some racist Hooterville.”

The case prompted rallies from both sides of the racial divide. About 100 Ellis supporters rallied Monday, and some of about three dozen counter-protesters showed swastikas or Confederate flags.

Ellis, a Kennett native who now teaches in Louisiana, pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. Swingle dropped two felony counts of assault on a law officer. Ellis will be placed on unsupervised probation for a year, but must serve four days in jail. If she completes probation, her record will be wiped clean.

RELATED: OPINION: Heather Ellis Finally Tells Her Story & Why I Believe Her

Ellis said it had been worth going to trial this week even though a similar deal had been offered earlier.

“I still think it’s important my story got out,” she said.

Heather Ellis is the woman who once faced up to 15-years in prison in an incident stemming from being accused of cutting the line at Wal-Mart.  We fought for Heather for weeks, but I’d never had a chance to actually speak with her.  Finally, she called me and we had the chance to talk.  It was a two hour conversation and she agreed to do an interview with me to let her side of the story get out to the world.

I can tell you, from my personal perspective, that the evidence in this case adds up badly for the police.  I am hopeful that our call for a federal investigation into the Kennett, MO police department is successful, and the ACLU is already pursuing charges of its own.  The officers who almost stole Heather’s freedom should not be allowed to abuse the civil rights of other American citizens.

Additionally, it was proven in court that the woman who accused Heather of cutting in line had actually pushed her first.  That changes the whole perspective on the disturbing the peace charge that was filed against her.  You can also hear in the interview about the cop who followed her out of the store, calling her disrespectful names and eventually tackling her when she asked him to stop.  This officer had been fired from a prior job for sexual harassment, so it is not out of the question that he said these things to Heather.

I encourage you to listen to the interview by clicking here.  It will give you the inside scoop on what was happening as the nation watched this case.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and the founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

I have been actively involved in the fight for Heather Ellis, the 24-year old school teacher who faced up to 15-years in prison for cutting line at a local Wal-Mart.  Although Heather has now reached a plea deal with prosecutors over her arrest, there are still questions that need to be answered.  No, she was not charged with cutting in line, but it was the cashier’s reaction to the alleged line cut which led to the relevant sequence of events.  Had the cashier been more professional and not refused to serve Heather, none of this would have happened (You hear that Walmart? Perhaps that’s why your attorneys are telling you to remain silent).

I have five simple questions about the trial of Heather Ellis:

1) If “no one was seriously injured,” why was she facing up to 15-years in prison?

In the opening statements of the trial, the prosecutor in the case, Morley Swingle (the dandy fellow with the Confederate flag on the cover of his book) stated that “There was no serious injury, but it did hurt,” when referring to the alleged assaults committed by Ms. Ellis.  If no one was seriously injured, does that constitute a Class-C felony?  This statement was quite telling when it comes to understanding the style of justice being administered in the Southeast Missouri area (which is why we are sending our reports to the Justice Department after the trial is over).  Given that Ellis appears to have been the only person to go to the hospital after she allegedly beat down all of these great big men, it would seem to me that perhaps she might be the one who is able to file an assault charge against the officers.  Additionally, the defense attorney on the case, Scott Rosenblum, presented evidence in court of there being blood in Heather Ellis’ jacket pocket from the night of the incident.  This would be consistent with her claim to the doctor the next day that she was assaulted by the police.

2) Why did the prosecutor hype up the videotape?  Was he lying?

When Stephen Sokoloff, the original prosecutor on the case, first felt the light shining on his little town, he became defensive.  As proudly as he could, Sokoloff claimed that the release of the video of the incident would show that Ms. Ellis is not as innocent as she claims to be.  The video has now been released and shown to the world.  Anyone in their right mind who watched the Walmart surveillance video taken the night of Heather Ellis’ arrest would have been sorely disappointed.   There was almost nothing on the video, other than a clip of Heather moving someone’s items off the conveyor belt (not punishable with prison time), and her walking out of the store with the officers following her.  The more the facts unfold in this case, the more it appears that there may have been an assault and cover-up.  My father was a cop for 25-years, so I know that officers stick together, especially when they think they can get away with it.  The Kennett police have some explaining to do.

3) If Heather was the aggressor, why is she seen on the videotape leaving the store?

The videotape shows Heather Ellis leaving the store with her cousin, with an army of police officers aggressively pursuing her.  This contradicts the officers’ account in a couple of ways: First, it does not seem to support the claim that Heather refused to leave the store, since she is clearly walking out the door on her own free will.  Secondly, it doesn’t support the idea that she was determined to “beat the ass” of the police officers (as some have claimed), since it would seem that she wouldn’t say, “follow me outside first so I can beat your ass.”  I would imagine that anyone determined to “beat the officers’ asses” would have done so right there at the register.

4) How can you go to trial in less than a week on a case that was given to you by someone in an entirely different office?

Dr. Christopher Metzler at Georgetown University, one of the most respected attorneys in the nation, questions the idea that a prosecutor can come from another town, take over a case and be ready for trial in just one week.  According to seasoned lawyers I’ve spoken with, the only way this would be possible is if someone else were guiding the new prosecutor behind the scenes.  I wonder what Stephen Sokoloff, the original prosecutor who recused himself from the case, has been up to this week?  Swingle could be getting some influential back up.

5) Why has this case been made to be about Heather’s cursing and allegedly “lewd behavior”?

I find it quite interesting that as this woman faces up to 15-years in prison for a minor incident, everyone is focused on the fact that she allegedly cursed at the officers and the cashier.  The question, to me, is not whether or not she cursed.  The question is whether or not she deserves 15-years in prison for getting angry.  I am not sure if Heather Ellis was mean to anyone that night, but in a fair justice system, the punishment must fit the crime.  So, to those who feel that she should have simply behaved herself, take a second to realize just how silly you sound.  Cursing or getting angry does not warrant the theft of a young person’s future.  If that were the case, the George Bush’s of the world would have gone to prison a long time ago.

As I mentioned at the start of this article, Heather has reached a plea deal.  But the freedom of Heather Ellis does not negate the effect of overzealous prosecution of people of color.  Heather’s case is not the end of anything, it is actually the beginning.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

In case you’ve been under a rock for the past three weeks, Heather Ellis is the 24-year old black college student now facing 15-years in prison after being accused of cutting in line at Walmart.  Of course, she was not charged for cutting in line, but the Walmart clerk refused to serve her because she accused her of cutting the line, which led to an argument resulting in the police being called.  Some how, this pastor’s daughter with no criminal record is now being charged with two felony counts of assaulting a police officer.  The truth, however, is that even based on the officer’s own accounts, there does not appear to have been anything that occurred in that store which justifies taking this young woman’s future.

RELATED: Black Woman Faces 15 Years In Prison For Cutting Line At Wal-Mart

As a result, Heather has been unable to go to medical school and has spent three years fighting the charges.   Here are the latest updates on her case:

1)    We are going to Kennett, Missouri in a national rally set to take place on the court house steps on November 16 at 11 am.  We are going to demand that Heather be freed and that the United States Justice Department do a full investigation of the judicial system in Kennett, Missouri.

2)    The prosecutor in the case, Stephen Sokoloff, has voluntarily stepped down, citing our public pressure as part of the reason he is leaving.   The truth, however, is that we are incredibly suspicious of this move, and not sure if this is a good or bad thing for Heather.  The justice system in this area does not appear to be credible when it comes to how it treats black people.

RELATED: OPINION: Why Black Students Must Stand Up For Heather Ellis

3)    The new prosecutor, Morley Swingle, wrote a book with a Confederate Flag on the cover.  That is not a good sign when it comes to showing any form of sensitivity for people of color.

4)    The Justice Department of Missouri has been called in for our protection during our rally, since they have reason to believe that the environment is going to be quite hostile and possibly violent.  We are going to march anyway.

5)    Many across the country are finding ways to hold Walmart accountable.  I am not calling for a boycott, but on the website for the case, I am asking that supporters of Heather’s cause use our form letters to write to Walmart to ask for their assistance in helping this young woman.  A call from the right Walmart executive could probably make this all go away.  Instead, Walmart has simply changed its email addresses in response to the thousands of letters and emails they are receiving in support of Heather Ellis.  So far, I am disappointed in their reaction.

6)    We are also concerned about the case of Walter Currie, a 15-year old kid in nearby Poplar Bluff, who was sprayed with gasoline and set on fire by one of his white classmates.  According to Walter’s mother, the child has been put in separate classes from the other kids, since they were told that his appearance would be disturbing to the students in his class.  This is the mindset of the place we are going to on Monday.  If you can spare a moment, we can use all the help we can get.

To keep up with the rally and get involved, you can visit www.TheHeatherEllisCase.com.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Black students have historically been among the greatest Civil Rights leaders in the Black community.  Young people bring the energy and bravery of youth, mixed with the boldness of idealism, to movements that ultimately change our nation.  The Civil Rights Movement was led by a bunch of students who defied their parents’ wishes by volunteering to be beaten upside the head at lunch counters.  Young people drove the entire dotcom era, causing their parents to memorize ridiculous words like Twitter, Yahoo, Myspace, Google and Facebook.  It is this same youthful energy that can reignite the pursuit of social justice in America, and the Heather Ellis case is a great place to start.

Heather Ellis is a young black college student now facing 15-years in prison for allegedly cutting line at a local Walmart.  Her cousin was in the shorter line, and when Heather joined her cousin, she was accused of cutting in front of the other customers.   An argument ensued, with security and police being called. While details are fuzzy at that point, we now know that Heather is being charged with two felony counts of assaulting a police officer, alleging that she kicked the officers when they were trying to arrest her.

RELATED: Black Woman Faces 15 Years In Prison For Cutting Line At Wal-Mart

I find this to be outrageous, given that Heather, a pastor’s daughter, is a premed student with no criminal record.  In that regard, she could be anyone’s daughter, sister, mother or friend.  A 15-year old boy, Walter Currie, was set on fire by a classmate in nearby Poplar Bluff, MO, with the attacker allegedly yelling racial epithets while he burned him.   This is what we are dealing with in this Missouri community: a blatant disregard for the Civil Rights of young African Americans, and that’s why we must fight.

As a result, our plan is to march on the town of Kennett, MO for these two black students.  On November 16, at 11 am, we will converge on the Walmart in Kennett where the incident took place.  At that point, we will make sure that the town is aware that this kind of injustice won’t be tolerated.   I am not sure if we will win the fight, but I can assure you that we will fight to win.

RELATED: VIDEO: Police Body-Slam Elderly Woman At Wal-Mart

Black students are needed in movements such as this one.  The energy, spirit, vision and courage of young black college students can serve as a blueprint for activism in the 21^st century.  So, while protestors are burning up the pavement with picket signs and podiums, young black students around the country should be lighting up the Internet with Facebook posts and Twitter messages.

Change is coming, whether we like it or not.  By aggressively embracing our destiny, we can create a future that belongs to us. Education is the key to empowerment, but education without action is virtually worthless.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  He is also the author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.”  For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

A federal jury has found two men guilty of committing a hate crime for beating a black man outside a Nampa Wal-Mart last year.

Michael Bullard and Richard Armstrong both face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced Oct. 19. Jennifer Hartpence was also accused in the hate crime, but the charges against her were dismissed before the case went to the jury on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said that the defendants, who are all white, plotted an attack against Raylen Smith, then 24, after encountering him in the aisles of Wal-Mart. They beat him in the parking lot until he blacked out.

A fourth man accused in the attack, James D. Whitewater, pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.

This image made from a surveillance video provided by the Lakewood Police Department shows men police say are suspects in a fatal shooting.

Four people have been arrested in the “cold-blooded” slaying of an armored car guard as he carried a money bag out of a Wal-Mart, police said Wednesday. One suspect was a Wal-Mart employee on duty during the robbery.

A man believed to be the gunman and another man were arrested Wednesday, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said. Two earlier arrests include the suspected getaway driver and a woman who was working at the Wal-Mart during the robbery Tuesday afternoon, she said at a news conference.

All four were arrested for investigation of homicide, robbery and assault. Police did not identify them but said more arrests were possible.

Loomis security guard Kurt Husted was shot in the head while leaving an Anchor Bank branch inside the Wal-Mart in this south Tacoma suburb. The same bullet also wounded a customer.

Hoffman said surveillance video of the robbery makes it clear the shooter made no attempt to take the money without violence.

“They just walked up and executed him,” she said. “It was very violent, very cold-blooded.”

Police recovered about two-thirds of the money, as well as a gun that was being tested. Hoffman wouldn’t specify the amount taken but confirmed it was in five figures.

The male customer wounded in the shooting told KIRO-TV he was with his 15-month-old son when he heard the shot and felt a bullet strike him.

“It was just straight cold,” Wilbert Pina said of the killing. “They didn’t give the guy a chance. They shot him, the bullet went through him, smacked me in the shoulder.”

A Wal-Mart spokesman declined to comment on an employee’s alleged involvement.

“Obviously, it’s a senseless act of violence,” spokesman Greg Rossiter said in a phone interview from Bentonville, Ark. “Our condolences go out to the guard’s family.”

The 39-year-old Husted had worked 16 years for Houston-based Loomis, and was wearing a bulletproof vest, company spokesman Pat Flaherty said.

“We mourn deeply the loss of Kurt Husted,” his family said in a statement released to KING5-TV. “He was a wonderful, caring person whom we loved deeply and will miss forever.”

Retailers — with Wal-Mart the notable exception — limped through a miserable November that even a surge of shopping after Thanksgiving couldn’t save, marking the weakest month since at least 1969 and deepening fears that the critical holiday period could be the most dismal in decades.

As merchants announced their November sales figures Thursday, the deep malaise cut across all sectors as shoppers worried about layoffs and shrinking retirement funds focus on necessities. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., though, posted sales gains that surpassed Wall Street estimates and has seen more customers and higher average transactions as it benefits from what could be a deep and prolonged recession.

However, Costco Wholesale Corp., usually a strong performer, reported a bigger-than expected sales decline. And most mall-based chains and department stores such as teen stalwart Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Kohl’s Corp. and Macy’s Inc. fared much worse, reporting percentage declines of over 10 percent.

“It’s an awful beginning to the holiday season,” said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at International Council of Shopping Centers. “This is going to be a difficult holiday season for most retailers. There are going to be more bankruptcies.” He predicted that the retrenchment in spending will linger for at least another six months.

According to the Goldman Sachs-International Council of Shopping Centers index of 37 stores, sales dropped 2.7 percent for November, making it the worst month since at least 1969 when the index began. November’s results were even more miserable than the 1 percent drop that Niemira anticipated. He noted that excluding Wal-Mart, the index declined a dramatic 7.7 percent, indicating a widening gap between the world’s largest retailer and the rest of the merchants.

The tally is based on same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year, which are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health.

Based on November’s performance, Niemira is slashing his holiday sales forecast for the combined November and December periods to be down as much as 1 percent. The only holiday period that was almost as weak was 2002, which posted a meager 0.5 percent same-store sales gain.

Sales data from the Thanksgiving weekend showed a buying binge on Black Friday — so named because it historically was the day that a surge of shoppers pushed stores into profitability — but shoppers retreated the rest of the weekend.

And even at the stores on Friday, they focused on bargains and on small-ticket purchases as they slash their holiday budgets, meaning only modest sales gains for the weekend.

Now concerns are growing that shoppers won’t return to malls until the final days before Christmas, making the typical lull between Thanksgiving weekend and the final days before Dec. 25 even more pronounced as shoppers wait for the best deals.

Many stores blamed their weak November figures in part to a quirk in the calendar — a late Thanksgiving means that the month’s reporting period does not include a whole week of post-holiday shopping compared with a year ago. Niemira estimated that factor depressed November figures — and will benefit December — by 1.5 percentage points to 2.0 percentage points.

But clearly, the deteriorating economy is wreaking havoc on consumers, who since mid-September have basically snapped their wallets shut. A big concern is layoffs, which are only expected to increase in months ahead.

A report from the Labor Department on Thursday showed that new claims for jobless benefits fell unexpectedly last week, but the number of people continuing to claim benefits reached a 26-year high.

Worries about the economy have helped Wal-Mart, which reported a 3.4 percent gain in same-store sales, surpassing the 2.1 percent increase that analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected. The results excluded sales from fuel. Including fuel, sales increased 3 percent.

Wal-Mart added that business is starting to benefit from falling gas prices, noting that shopping trips increased and “customers had more discretionary income to spend.” It expects that same-store sales growth for December will be at the high end of its range of 1 to 3 percent.

Rival Target Corp., which has been stumbling as its merchandises focuses more on nonessentials like trendy clothes and housewares, posted a 10.4 percent decline. That’s worse than the 8.9 percent decline estimated by Wall Street estimates.

Costco reported a 5 percent decline in same-store sales, larger than the 2.4 percent drop analysts expected. Excluding the effect of lower gas prices and currency fluctuations, the wholesale club operator would have posted a 3 percent sales gain.

Among department store operators, Macy’s Inc. reported a 13.3 percent drop in same-store sales for November, while Kohl’s posted a 17.5 percent decline. J.C. Penney’s same-store sales dropped 11.9 percent. Upscale Nordstrom Inc. posted a 15.9 decline.

Gap Inc. reported a 10 percent same-store sales drop, but company officials said that discounts were more aggressive than last year, a move that would affect merchandise margins. Still, the strategy allowed the company to “successfully clear through inventory in the month.” The company reaffirmed its full-year profit outlook.

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, which has resisted deep discounting, saw a 28 percent same-store sales drop.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A man working for Wal-Mart was killed on Friday when a throng of shoppers surged into a Long Island, New York, store and physically broke down the doors, a police spokesman said.

The 34-year-old man was at the entrance of the Valley Stream Walmart store just after it opened at 5 a.m. local time and was knocked to the ground, the police report said.

The exact cause of death was still to be determined by a medical examiner.

Four shoppers, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman, were also taken to local hospitals for injuries sustained in the incident, police said.

Wal-Mart said it was saddened by the death of the man, who was working for a temporary employment agency serving the discount retailer, and by the injuries suffered by shoppers.

“The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority,” the world’s largest retailer said in a statement. It said the incident was still under investigation and referred any other inquiries to local police.

The Friday after America’s Thanksgiving holiday is known a Black Friday and marks what is traditionally the busiest retail day of the year, kicking off the Christmas shopping season.

U.S. stores across the country opened in the early hours of Friday to offer discounts to consumers hit by a contracting economy. Hundreds of shoppers waited on line before dawn at some locations to secure deals on holiday gifts.