He's always been a radical voice for black culture, but Ice Cube has turned things up a notch on social media in recent weeks. The former N.W.A. rapper burst onto the music scene with a controversial classic that spoke of defying authority, but there are Ice Cube fans who see him as the family-friendly actor and not as a political voice. His recent tweets have caused a bit of backlash as Ice Cube has been accused of sharing anti-Semitic images, but no matter what people had to say about his viewpoints, he remains steadfast.
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On Friday (June 12), a news story out of Florida began to circulate online. The articles and images of protests have dwindled in recent days, but rest assured they are still taking place nationwide. However, things took a turn in Tampa Bay when hundreds of looters reportedly stormed a local Walmart and made off with $100K worth of items. A video clip of the incident from store security cameras hit news stations, and the videos were shared on social media.
Ice Cube wanted to make sure that no one involved found themselves in trouble, so when he saw that CBS News tweeted the clip of the looters, he offered up a solution. "No arrest and I’ll cover the $100k. Deal?" We're curious as to whether or not he'll be able to pull this one off, but the gesture speaks volumes. Check out the tweet below.
Walmart Will No Longer Lock Up Black Beauty Products
After facing online criticism, Walmart will no longer hold black beauty products in locked cases.
In response to growing online pressure, Walmart has announced that it will no longer keep Black beauty products in locked display cases. The policy, intended by the corporation to prevent shoplifting, was previously implemented in 4700 stores. “We have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases,” the company said Wednesday in an emailed statement and tweet.
Although the policy has been standard practice for a while, it recently became the focus of social media criticism from people noticing the double standard between Walmart’s approach to products intended for white shoppers and those marketed towards the black community. The backlash largely began after the issue was highlighted by CBS Denver reporter Tori Mason. However, criticism of Walmart is nothing new. The company also recently came under fire for its negligence towards the coronavirus and an insensitive Paul Walker tweet.
Walmart’s decision to unlock Black hair products comes amidst growing protests against racial injustice andGeorge Floyd’s death that several companies have released public statements and implemented policy changes to express solidarity with. In addition to repealing their ‘multicultural’ hair-care lockdown, Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon has announced that the company, in partnership with the Walmart Foundation, is pledging $100-million to create a racial equity center.
Walmart Removes Guns From Sales Floor While Protests Continue
Walmart announced that they will still sell firearms, but while the protests are continuing across the country, they don’t want to risk rioters breaking in to steal weapons.
The sale of guns in Walmart stores has been a long-running controversy. Activists calling for stricter gun laws have openly criticized the beloved superstore, asking why Walmart feels it is necessary to continue selling firearms to the public. However, the mega-chain has an enormous amount of supporters who advocate for Walmart to continue providing a place where citizens can purchase guns.
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As the debate rages on, Walmart has made a few changes after seeing that companies have found their stores looted by rioters over the last few days. While peace protests have popped up in major cities worldwide, there still have been instances where Targets, malls, and other establishments have seen their brick and mortar shops destroyed. Erring on the side of caution, Fox Business reports that Walmart has opted to remove firearms from being displayed in the open and will now tuck them away in secured storage areas.
“As a responsible seller of hunting and sporting firearms, we have temporarily removed firearms and ammunition from the sales floor in some stores out of an abundance of caution,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “Those items are available for purchase, but are being stored in a secure room.”
Even after there were two separate instances of gun violence at Walmart stores—one a mass shooting where 22 people were killed in Texas and the second in Mississippi where two managers were murdered—Walmart remains unmoved as it pertains to their stance of purchasing firearms in their stores.
Walmart Sued For Negligence Over Coronavirus-Related Deaths
Walmart is facing a lawsuit from the families of two former employees who passed away from Coronavirus.
Two employees at a Walmart in Illinois passed away due to Coronavirus and now, the company is facing accusations of reckless disregard and negligence in a newly filed wrongful death lawsuit. The family of Wando Evans has filed a lawsuit against the company after the 51-year-old man died on March 25th.
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According to the suit, Evans had already told the manager that he was experiencing symptoms but the manager dismissed the complaint. Finally, on March 23rd, he was allowed to go home but it was two days later when he was found dead at his home. In addition, the lawsuit claims that there were other employees whose concerns over COVID-19 were dismissed. Another 48-year-old man who worked at the store, Phillip Thomas, passed away on March 29th.
The Evans’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit that accuses Walmart of “willful and wanton misconduct and reckless disregard” that caused the man’s death.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store, and we are mourning along with their families,” a Walmart spokeswoman said in a statement to NPR. “While neither associate had been at the store in more than a week, we took action to reinforce our cleaning and sanitizing measures, which include a deep-cleaning of key areas of the store.”
Man Charged With Terrorist Threat For Licking Items In Walmart
A man has been charged with making a terrorist threat after he mocked the severity of the coronavirus pandemic by licking various items in Walmart on camera.
A Missouri man was charged with making a terrorist threat after footage spread of him licking a number of items inside a Walmart store, in an attempt to mock the panic surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. 26-year-old Cody Pfister uploaded the video of himself on social media, in which he can be heard asking his viewers “who’s afraid of the coronavirus?” He then proceeds to run his tongue across some of the merchandise inside the Warrenton, Missouri store. The video was widely shared across the Internet, leading numerous complaints to be filed about the threat that Pfister’s actions pose during these dire times.
The City of Warrenton Police Department issued a statement earlier this week, addressing the situation. “A local resident who took a video of themselves licking the merchandise after making a ‘Corona Virus’ statement at Walmart and posting it to social media has been taken into custody,” the statement reads. “This particular video, which won’t be shared here, has gained some international attention and we have received numerous reports about the video from locals, nearby residents, as well as people from the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. We take these complaints very seriously and would like to thank all of those who reported the video so the issue could be addressed.”
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office applauded the police department for taking action, noting how “frustrating” it is “that we have to waste valuable resources on calls like this during these trying times.”
Pfister has officially been charged with making a terrorist threat due to his reckless behaviour. The charge is considered a low-level felony.
Walmart Apologizes For Insensitive Paul Walker Tweet
Yikes.
Walmart's social media manager was a little too quick with a recent response to a user since their supposed joke was received as insensitive. After a fan of the store's Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls expressed on Twitter that they would be speeding to the nearest location to cop the strawberry and cream-flavored bites, Walmart responded writing: "Hey, Paul Walker. Click it, or ticket."
Considering that Paul sadly passed in 2013 after a car crash in California, the Twitterverse was quick to call out the tone-deaf comment. "OMG. You can delete it all you want @Walmart but whoever posted that better be fired. So tasteless. RIP Paul Walker - died in my hometown," one user wrote, while another added, "WalMart referencing a Workaholics line from 2011 (that was from an episode that aired before Paul Walker died) 7 years after Walker died and the line would be in poor taste is just another reason to not encourage the brands."
Walmart has since apologized for the tweet, writing: "We apologize to Paul Walker's family, friends and fans. The tweet was posted in poor judgment and has been removed."
Some users, however, didn't see the harm. "I get why people are mad at the WalmartPaul Walker thing, but I feel like this was more of a fast and furious reference, because he literally drove fast in the movies. Also this was a quote from some show I don't think they meant it to come off as disrespectful."
Let us know what you think.
Boosie Badazz Denies Report That He Beat Up George Zimmerman At Walmart
The rapper stated it was a flat out lie.
In “How did this rumor even get started?” news, Boosie Badazz has taken to his social media to clear up false reports. On Tuesday, somehow, news began to circulate that the rapper ran into George Zimmerman and was engaged in a physical altercation. A report stated that it all went down at a Walmart parking lot in Miami when Boosie recognized Zimmerman as the “fat ass n*gga who killed Trayvon.” Zimmerman allegedly reached for a weapon before Boosie beat him so badly that Zimmerman was hospitalized. Supposedly.
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Social media picked up on the news and ran with it, and soon, Bossie was being hailed for assaulting the infamous killer. However, the rapper made a video stating that he was not involved in an incident with Zimmerman. “Aye, service announcement from Boosie,” the rapper began. “I never seen George in my life but on TV. This is a lie. Leave me alone. I never seen George Zimmerman in my life. George don’t know me.”
“Talkin’ ’bout I did something to him in Walmart,” Boosie continued. “That is a lie.” He then used the opportunity to plug his noodles that apparently “drop at Walmart Friday.” We guess you should keep an eye out for that. Meanwhile, Zimmerman continues to live his life as a controversial figure following his acquittal for the shooting death of 17-year-old high school student Trayvon Martin.
Trayvon was visiting his relatives when he left their home to walk to a nearby market to pick up a few items. While returning, Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator, spotted Trayvon and believed he was a menace. He called the local authorities, stalked Trayvon, chased the scared teen, got into a physical altercation with him, and then shot him. He’s been arrested on multiple occasions for unrelated crimes since the 2012 attack.