By now many have heard the news that a brutal trio of Walmart employees have killed an alleged shoplifter in Lithonia, Georgia.
Georgia police are investigating the killing and the three have been suspended from their jobs.
This isn't the first time this has happened in Dekalb county Georgia. In 2009, a man was killed by a mob of Walmart employees and shoppers for alleged shoplifting. The medical examiner ruled it a homicide.
According to one report, store officials had contacted the police saying that a man had been seen stuffing his shirt with store items. Yet as he lay dying in the parking lot, no items were found on his person.
In 2005, Walmart employees killed Stacy Driver over a package of diapers and a BB gun. He died of a heart attack - after being put in a choke hold like the previous victims mentioned above. As a result of this killing, Walmart changed its policy to instruct its employees to disengage themselves from these situations, for all the good it's done.
But Wal-Mart allows its Asset Protection staff to "use reasonable force to physically limit or control the movements of a Suspect." ...
Wal-Mart paid Driver's family $750,000 in a settlement of the family's wrongful death lawsuit.
Earlier this year, Jose Picazo became unresponsive after being taken down by Walmart's asset protection staff in the parking lot (for alleged shoplifting). An autopsy was done after he died at the hospital. He allegedly stole some clothes and body wash totalling $56. You can see photos of the candlelight vigil held in his memory
here.
How many people have died at Costco from choking? Yes, one. He died after choking on a free sample of tri-tip steak after a firefighter shopping at the store couldn't dislodge it using the Heimlich. The judge ruled that Costco could be held responsible for this death because if the samples had been cut smaller it might not have happened. Hundreds of samples of "too much steak" were given out that day at Costco. The case has gone to a jury trial.
And what happens when Walmart employees choke people to death with their bare hands? They get suspensions with pay.
Walmart creates a culture of desperation, violence, and death in our communities, and it must stop. They will not take responsibility for killing US citizens unless they are forced to. Walmart should be held fully accountable for the deaths its corporate culture has enabled.