SteveHai

Valley Stream, NY

Eyewitnesses to last year's Black Friday wanted

I hear what you are saying, Scott, and it's true that when I look at newsreel footage I do see wall-to-wall black and latino faces. But I don't know, I can't believe that one race or community is any worse or any better than any other - that any group of people is more workshy, more aggressive than any others. It just doesn't feel right to say that - and if they do seem to be so, it's my job to try to explain why that is, what are the mitigating circumstances that lie behind the incident and look at things from all perspectives. When I look at other newsreel footage - in Elk City, Grand Rapids and plenty of other places, the hysteria and stampeding is just the same but different demographics in the crowd, by that I mean white faces in the majority. Someone was killed in Valley Stream, but it looks like it could well have happened in other places. What does seem different is the sheer number of people involved, and the absence of any kind of control, from Wal-Mart, Green Acres Mall, Securitas or the Police. When I look at footage of other incidents, there is always some kind of queue or barricade system. In this case, there seems to have been none - a solid mass of hyped-up people, all streaming through a tiny bottleneck. The Nassau Police commissioner described it as 'an entirely foreseeable act'. Someone else likened it to shouting fire in a crowded theatre - the way the entire sale was conceived, to make it as competitive as possible and to cut costs on safety measures. What do you think?  (Thursday Nov 19 | post #12)

Valley Stream, NY

Eyewitnesses to last year's Black Friday wanted

Thanks for your replies. I hear where you're coming from, and I must admit stampeding into a Wal-Mart at 5am is not my thing either. But I'm still unable to explain what could have driven these people to behave in such a way. The crowd seems more than unruly - hysterical. Over two thousand people! Why do you think that was? I'd be interested to hear your views.  (Tuesday Nov 17 | post #9)

Valley Stream, NY

Eyewitnesses to last year's Black Friday wanted

Thanks for your comments. I'm hoping to make a film that shows all sides of the story, and that doesn't pass judgement but leaves the viewer able to make up their own mind. From what I gather, it seems the Green Acres Wal-Mart was not the only place where such incidents have taken place. Various Wal-Marts in other states have had shoppers' stampedes, and other big stores as well. Nor is it just in America - here in the UK, many more, around five thousand people, turned up at 5 am for an IKEA sale. Nobody was killed, but several were badly injured.In Jeddah, five thousand shoppers stampeded into another IKEA sale, killing four and injuring many more. And so on. So I'm not pointing a finger, either at Valley Stream or Wal-Mart, but asking a simple question: what can possibly make people behave in this way? Part of that would involve looking at the effects 'big box retailers' have upon a community. I'd really like to meet anybody that went to last year's Black Friday sales, or who grew up in Valley Stream when the mall was first built - when it was a lively, sociable place that somehow had more character. Please let me know if you can help with either of these?  (Wednesday Nov 11 | post #6)

Valley Stream, NY

Eyewitnesses to last year's Black Friday wanted

Thanks for the reply. I haven't been to Valley Stream, but I have looked into the area and the various issues, and I agree it is a complex situation, an 'entirely avoidable incident' that says a great deal about our society. I'm trying to look at questions of both who was responsible, and what. Not just pointing a finger at the shoppers, Wal-Mart or the Police, but trying to understand how that crowd of people could get so carried away they trampled somebody to death. That's why I'd like to meet anybody that was actually there last year. Hopefully someone will read this board!  (Tuesday Nov 10 | post #3)