Police Ignore Ordinance as Activists Show Solidarity with Walmart Employees
by Kerri Ana Provost
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After being told that Walmart wanted protestors moved because they were allegedly impeding pedestrian and vehicle traffic, the singing and chanting group moved down to a space on the sidewalk where they were told by the police they needed to remain. Shoppers never lost access to the store, nor did motorists find themselves barricaded in the parking lot where many spaces remained empty.
Despite cooperation, the prisoner transport van appeared and police began to assemble a so-called free speech zone with sawhorses, an effort that seemed confusing and laughable to most, as the activists had long been sticking to walking between two cones placed on the sidewalk for the better part of an hour.
When asked where my special media containment area was, the humorless officer gave no response and pointed me toward the area being used by activists.
The land on which Walmart sits has been leased by the Hartford Housing Authority. In 2004, the City of Hartford passed an ordinance protecting free speech in parking lots and on sidewalks in front of retail stores, in particular, those which are dubbed city-affiliated, such as Walmart. The municipal code states:
When I asked an officer why protestors were being moved out of the parking lot, he claimed that this parcel was owned by Walmart and not the City. The Charter Oak Marketplace plaza is shared with a RadioShack, GameStop, Payless, Marshalls, and more.
Once again, The HPD response to a peaceful protest was one that may lead onlookers to believe that no actual crimes were happening anywhere in the city. Activists commented that the police were there to serve and protect corporate interests.
Flyers were distributed in a non-aggressive manner; activists reported that Walmart workers were told they would lose their jobs if they accepted any materials from those rallying in solidarity with store employees who walked out in various locations around the United States.
Many complaints have been waged against Walmart, including that it keeps the African American community in poverty by refusing to pay living wages or offer an adequate number of full-time positions.
Joshua Blanchfield, an organizer of the Hartford solidarity rally said he was expecting about fifty individuals; the actual turnout was roughly double that, including a number of striking workers from the Healthbridge nursing homes.