110+ People Arrested As Nationwide Protest Against Walmart Grows Stronger

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More than 110 people have been arrested across the country today as the nationwide protest against Walmart continues to grow stronger.

In one of largest recent acts of civil disobedience, 1,500 protests are taking place at Walmarts in 46 states as workers, and their supporters are demanding a living wage and an end to retaliation against employees.

According to Our Walmart, arrests are occurring across the country,

In St. Paul, MN, 26 workers and allies were arrested practicing non-violent civil disobedience as nearly 1,000 marched, calling on Walmart, other corporations, and state legislators to end poverty wages in Minnesota. The march capped a Black Friday week of action in Minnesota that included a strike in Brooklyn Center by Walmart associates.

In Sacramento, CA, 15 protesters were arrested at the Roseville Walmart. OUR Walmart member Dorothy Halvorson in Placerville, California, who has worked at the store for 11 years, was part of the civil disobedience there. She says:

In Seacaucus, NJ, 13 protesters – including Walmart workers who have been illegally fired for speaking out for better jobs, were arrested after peaceful civil disobedience at Walmart’s store in the Harmon Meadow shopping center.

Earlier today, Santa Claus was among those arrested, “9 supporters of Walmart workers were arrested this morning in Alexandria, VA. Thirteen workers and supporters were arrested in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area according to Our Walmart. In Chicago, ten people were arrested at a Walmart protest.”

Walmart has spent the day putting out false information. The nation’s largest retailer has been claiming that no employees are involved in the protests, and that the protesters are being paid $50 each. Neither of these claims is true. Walmart is trying to lie their way out of trouble, and when they can’t lie, they are having the protesters arrested.

Walmart is repeating the strategy of other failed robber barons. They can’t have all of their employees arrested, and they don’t understand that they aren’t just battling their own workers. The retail giant is also battling a changing perception of income equality. Seventy six percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage. By treating their employees so callously, Walmart is out of step with more than three fourths of the country,

The protests aren’t getting weaker. They are growing louder. The call for justice is getting louder, and the movement against those who prosper by increasing inequality is getting stronger.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association