The WAL-MART Rally that Wasn't

Chris Prevatt of the Liberal OC blog submitted a post promoting a grassroots campaign last Saturday to protest the building of a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Chapman and Brookhurst Avenue in Garden Grove.

The problem, according to literature published by the Orange County Central Labor Council and the Main Street Coalition is the idea that Wal-Mart’s lack of business ethics is a plight on the community. Their practices ultimately cause the closure of small businesses, and the depression of per capita wages. Garden Grove is inevitably Wal-Mart’s next victim.

I showed up to this courtyard on Garden Grove Boulevard early Saturday, and I see two men desperately standing waiting to cultivate this big grassroots effort to banish any presence of Wal-Mart. Regrettably for the two of them, no volunteers appeared to have showed up.

One of the people present, Tefere Gebre, the political director of the Orange County Central Labor Council and leader of the Main Street Coalition, tells me ten minutes after the volunteer effort started that I missed the big anti-Wal-Mart rally. Even so, no one showed up for the next hour. Bored and restless, I inevitably struck up conversation with the pleasant and talkative Gebre and was proceeded to be lectured on the horrors of the world's largest corporation.

At the conclusion of my visit, I figured out why no one really cared enough to rally around Mr. Gebre's effort. In a city where 14% of individuals live below the poverty line, and the per capita household income is under $20,000, why wouldn't such a community welcome an organization that saves the average American household over 2,000 per year, all while contributing to a percentage increase in real wages and adding on average of 200,000 jobs to the US economy each year.

Comments

[Paul Lucas]

Liberdator what have you been smoking? I was at the rally. It wasnt so much of a rally as it was a precinct walK. And like any precinct walk we showed up got our packets a short speech and instructions and we all headed out. About 75 volunteers showed up. I didnt see you there. And Channel 3 was there too. But I sure didnt see you there. Get your facts somewhat straight if youre gonna tray and spin with the big boys here son.

[Jubal]

Paul:

He was there for the first hour of the event. No one showed. I think you've been to enough precinct walks to know the bulk of walkers show up at the beginning.

He's reporting what he saw. You don't have to like it.

[Mike Lawson]

The LiberalOC post that you are speaking of is here. And Chris never calls it a rally.

People did show up, but they were sent out to walk neighborhoods.

Oooooo...Channel 3! Big time!

Yeah, and all those walkers happened to show up simultaneously to at 10:00 a.m. start time, get their precinct sheets and disperse in 10 minutes!

Suuuuuure.

Libertador didn't say no one showed up. But he was there for the first hour (I'll take him at his word), and no one showed up. That's a poor showing no matter what side of this issue you're on.

[Paul Lucas]

Jubal,

Tefere told me about your corespondent that showed up to the meeting spot. he showed up after everyone had left. If he was there at the beginning or even ten minutes after I would have seen him. He didnt show up till everyone left. Your correspondent must have gotten lost on the way there.

[Pat]

Dude, if nobody saw your march, it wasn't a march.

We like Starbucks, we like Wal-Mart. Carry on.

[Thomas Anthony Gordon]

Was this Wal-mart precinct walk/rally about delivering the good word that Michelle Obama makes about 60K as a Director for Treehouse foods?

http://www.treehousefoods.com/index_flash.html

http://www.treehousefoods.com/bio_michelle_obama.html

Wakeup America-your about to be bamboozled by another Democrat