Occupy OKC WalMart Protest

Black Friday-- a day that's centered around the customer. But, one group is more concerned about the employees. Fox 25's Kisha Henry shows us a group of protestors who revisited the same store where they were arrested last Black Friday.

"Attention Walmart employees!" shouts the group of Occupy OKC protestors.

"This land is your land, this land is my land," sings one protestor, guitar in hand.

Shouting, singing, and with signs in hand, the group Occupy OKC protests the Walmart in Del City, one year after 10 activists were arrested while protesting inside the store. This year, they stayed off Walmart property, but their message is the same.

"It is a shame and an outrage," yells one protestor, while the group echoes her. "... That you were forced to work today!" she yells into a megaphone.

"I've been contacted by several employees from this store," says Mark Faulk, of Occupy OKC. He says he's protesting on behalf of Walmart employees for higher wages and fair treatment. "Their CEO makes more in an hour than their average employee makes in a year," he says.

"I would never, ever work at Walmart if my life depended on it," adds Thants Peterson, another protestor. "Low wages, no health benefits, no nothing like that," he explains.

Faulk says Walmart employees have told him their working conditions are "horrendous" and "miserable." He brought along a letter he says an employee in Midwest City emailed him:

"I work at the Wal-Mart on N.E. 23rd & Douglas in Midwest City. This store is HORRENDOUS to say the least. The manager is Ronnie Anderson and his pack of goons are verbally and emotionally abusive to several of us employees. Could you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stage a protest at our store. All of us are miserable and afraid of retaliation. I believe we would be encouraged if someone would only come by and stand up to these people. Thank you and God bless."

Among the protestors, there were no Walmart employees. "It says they are intimidated and fearful. When we were here last year and (the police) tried to say, "Oh, you're disturbing the peace,"  the Walmart workers were smiling when we were standing up for them," says Faulk.

Walmart shoppers Fox 25 spoke with stood up for the big chain. "I'm shopping at Walmart because really they have the best prices," says one man.

But, protestors say that's the problem. "They unfairly price their goods on Black Friday so that local stores and local competitors cannot compete with them," says Faulk.

The protestors say they want to raise awareness and evoke a change. "Leave your carts behind!" shouts the group. "Join us! Buy local!"

Fox 25 put in a call to Walmart, but was unable to reach anyone for a comment.
Occupy OKC WalMart Protest

Posted: Friday, November 23 2012, 09:47 PM CST