2007 Actions

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All photos copyrighted by Debbie Kline 2007-2011 (c)

Candlelight Vigil - Prayer for Wal-Mart to Change

On Wednesday, December 19, 2007 about 100 members from the faith community, brothers and sisters from several unions, and members from community organizations showed their solidarity with UFCW and Wake Up Wal-Mart by attending a Prayer Vigil at Steelyard Commons. Security from First Interstate Properties welcomed early arrivers and informed lead organizer, Mike Martino that we needed to vacate and call off the vigil, but

Rally for a Living Wage

Cleveland Jobs with Justice held a rally outside the Cuyahoga County Commissioners Offices, followed by a public hearing where all three commissioners publicly supported a living wage. However, the commissioners vocal support of a living wage was as far as their efforts went to enact the resolutions. By November, the County Assistant Prosecutor released an opinion that the commissioners did not have the authority to pass the resolutions. So, we shifted our focus to obtaining an Attorney General’s opinion on the legality of the resolutions.

we moved forward informing them we would be gathering on city property (the tree lawn along the road across the parking lot from the store). We assured them we would not impede business in anyway, but they insisted we leave - we stayed. Early arrivers headed off to other stores on the other side of the complex to shop, saving their receipts to prove they were actually shoppers and not just "trespassers." All of this was done under the watchful eye of two security officers.

Undaunted by the threat of the two security officers, we continued on with the Candlelight Vigil until backup arrived in the form of the Cleveland City Police. The first on the scene were two detectives and before we knew it there were 4 cruisers with armed uniform officers as backup. The two detectives approached, with the security officers in tow, and asked that we disperse. An agreement was quickly reached and we were given 5 minutes to wrap up the evening's event that had already gone on for almost the amount of time we had planned.

So basically, Wal-Mart officials think that it is necessary to tie up the time of the Cleveland City Police to disperse a crowd of people holding a peaceful Candlelight - Prayer Vigil. A Vigil that was not on their property, not interfering with business, not being unruly in any way - it was a Prayer Vigil! This is America and we were exercising our rights to assemble freely on city owned property. OH WAIT! That's right! You like doing more business with China, where they don't have that right. Maybe you were confused and forgot we were in the United States! Come on Wal-Mart! WAKE UP!