Cops: Crowd confrontation sparked Black Friday stampede

[Coventina]

Source: Newsday

A no-cutting-in-line conflict between two large groups of shoppers helped to spark the Black Friday stampede in which a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death, Nassau police said yesterday.

Shoppers who remained inside their vehicles in the parking lot until the Valley Stream store's special 5 a.m. opening apparently clashed with people who had stood in line for hours outside Wal-Mart, police said.

When the store's doors opened, the conflict between the two groups - with "a considerable amount of people" who had stayed in their vehicles rushing to enter the store without waiting in line - fostered "mob mentality," Nassau Police Lt. Kevin Smith said.

"A whole lot of people started getting out of their cars and made a beeline for that door," Smith said, referring to the one set of doors open to shoppers.

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-listam045951623dec04,0,2283434.story

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Line-cutters are one of the lowest forms of humanity.
It's the attitude of, "I'm special. I shouldn't have to wait my turn. I deserve special privileges. I don't have to play by the rules." It's the whole Bush-admin mentality.

"I don't have to play fair."

Scum.

Having said that, I still believe that Wal-Mart is ultimately responsible, and I hope the Damour family becomes majority share-holders in Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart SHOULD HAVE SEEN this situation developing, especially since the police had to come out EVEN BEFORE THE STORE OPENED!

They need to consult with the Disney company. They know how to make people queue, and feel good about the privilege of doing so! :evilgrin:

[hobbit709]

1. Taking out a line jumper should be considered "homicide in the public interest"

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. I wouldn't even use the word homicide - just call it "in the public interest"

:rofl:

[hobbit709]

4. Committing a public service.

Or at worst "Discharging a firearm within the city limits"

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. "Technically, Mr. hobbit709, you DID shoot a gun in city limits; however, you thoughtfully used

a target of sufficient mass and volume to ensure that your bullet didn't do any damage to buildings or people, so I'm not going to cite for this, but will speak to the mayor about giving you a special commendation for safety and ensuring the public good. Have a good day, sir. Oh, and don't trip over the body - we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt! Especially not our newest hero."

[Buzz Clik]

2. So, laziness, a sense of entitlement, and greed sparked this? Seems reasonable.

[Mike Daniels]

9. I'd say Walmart just letting people cluster had a good amount to do with it as well

but it does show that there was a human element that was brought on by the crowd itself.

[NashVegas]

6. Not Surprising

Here's what I posted a few days ago in GD, about crowd control at concerts:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4568602#4568995

I Wouldn't Call Those In Front of the Line, "Bullies"

The very front usually just got there way early and held their place.

It's the people *just* behind them where the danger is. Either they got there early but just not early enough, to be in front, or they pushed their way up as far as they could. The front is where they *want* to be but couldn't and they're going to take that frustration out and be where the first great push is. The first line has the motivation to run straight in, but they don't go knocking people down. That happens when they have no choice, because there's a crowd pushing at their backs.

[snooper2]

7. BUT IT'S WALMARTS FAULT!

No, it's the stupid ignorant fucking humans who needed their crap that was made in China.

[LostinVA]

16. It IS their fault

[Karenina]

18. The promoter of an "event" is responsible for crowd control.

Simple steps would have prevented this tragedy.

SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION HERE:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4564262

[donco6]

20. It is WalMart's fault.

Line jumping is a universal phenomenon, and must be anticipated.

[acmavm]

8. We are turning into a nation of thugs. No sense of humanity, no

sense of decency, no sense of community.

Maybe evolution has run its course.

[Javaman]

12. Oh we have been a nation of thugs for a very long time. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Unfortunately, I believe that "privileged" attitude is universal.

I once saw a mother find a clever way to jump a school carpool line. This was before cellphones were so popular, so I really don't know how they did it. I remember I would get in line maybe twenty to thirty minutes early, so I saw this go on for at least two weeks before it was stopped. The mother would time it perfectly and drive her car around all the cars and jump in front of the first waiting car just as her son came up to the curb. It was so perfectly timed that there couldn't have been more than ten seconds that her car was stopped as the kid opened the door and jumped in. In order for it to work, he had to be the first one to reach the cars, or her presence would have created problems for the cars behind her that would have to get around her.

Finally, it was stopped by the school. But I was shocked that she had even thought it was okay, because some days, she had to drive quickly around the cars to get to the front of the line to make sure the timing worked. That means anyone cutting through the cars to get to the parking lot, which was often, could have been in danger. Well, I knew the mother. She was Puerto Rican. I knew the kid. Nice, quiet kid, though he did go through a gangsta-wannabe stage that every kid seemed to go through at the time. I bumped into her in a store after the kids graduated from high school, and as she reminisced over the elementary school days, she said that she felt the school was prejudiced to latinos. I don't question that she may have experienced something when the boy was going through his gangsta phase, but, I couldn't help thinking that she didn't help her cause with that little car jetting stunt.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. Universal for Americans, you mean

I've never seen this kind of entitlement thinking anywhere else in the world.

[Karenina]

19. Outside the U.S. fewer are trained by the "game show."

Television. The drug of the nation.

[Cronus Protagonist]

21. I suspect that's a factor, but not the whole enchilada

The US culture is overall more self-entitled and rapacious than in any other nation that I've ever experienced, and I can't place the blame on game shows - perhaps they're only another symptom.

[Selatius]

25. I think it's more about the culture of individualism.

Most cultures have a certain balance between individualism and communitarianism. It may be that within the US, the balance leans heavily towards individualism. The myth of the rugged lone cowboy or the lone frontiersman hacking out a living on the wilderness, dependent upon no one, is deeply fixed.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. You might have a point.

I believe this particular lady spent some time in New York City. Though, honestly, in Miami it's very common for latinos to ignore the parking lanes in front of the grocery stories and just have someone hang out in the car while someone runs inside to buy something.

[treestar]

22. The prevailing attitude seems to be that someone who is clever

enough to think that up deserves it, or something like that. It's weird, and seems to come out of that idea that anything that leads to success is great and shows thinking outside the box, which is somehow deemed always admirable.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. Oh, I see the flaw in their thinking.

They're not coming up with anything new. They're just cheating.

[BoneDaddy]

27. Survivor

is the main show that comes to mind where you pretend to work together, then essentially stab one another in the back.

[treestar]

30. So true, I was thinking of that show from this thread, too

The way the backstabber always seems to realize they did something they aren't quite comfortable with, but always rationalize with "the game demands it." As though an honest and sincere person could never win that game. But sometimes the backstabber doesn't win - yet when they vent out at the end, the others still admire the "way they played the game."

[BoneDaddy]

26. From the rich to the poor

and everyone in between and I see a sense of entitlement from a ton of people.

[Javaman]

11. ...

:popcorn:

Want some?

[grantcart]

13. should contact IKEA they would have had a band and a clown there

[LostinVA]

17. And would have handed out Swedish meatballs and cookies

I love them!

They have the lowest retail turnover of any other company. Then it's Costco.

[LostinVA]

15. Which proves that one poster's OP right: it is Wal-Mart's fault

Having proper barriers and employees stationed to direct and engage the crowd would have helped. As would a uniform and badge or two being outside.

[BoneDaddy]

28. So no accountability

exists for the crowds who thought it was ok to do what they did? Don't get me wrong I think Walmart should be sued severely for their part but clearly this report shows the irresponsibility of many of the shoppers.

[-..__...]

29. I'm not the least bit surprised by this.

I mean, how much common sense does it take to register with a person that if WalMart had x-number of merchandise at slashed prices, and there's already xxx-number of people waiting in line, they shuld realize that they have zero chance of making a big score and simply turn around and go home.

That is... unless they showed up with the full intention of bumping the line.