About 50 protesters entered a Decatur Walmart Friday, chanting and holding signs demanding higher wages for workers.
The protests were part of a national push to increase pay, both at Walmart and at fast food restaurants across the country. Some demonstrators were also there to oppose the lack of indictment for Darren Wilson, the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. this summer.
The group marched down Memorial Drive and Columbia Drive to honking horns before entering the store with chants like, “The people united will never be defeated.” Shoppers took photos of the crowd before police forced them to leave and move to the street.
Mary Hooks, who was marching with her 2-year-old daughter, said all of the issues are related. People who are economically unstable are most likely to have confrontations with police.
Diedre Cole, a medical assistant who makes $13 an hour, said she supported protesters’ efforts to increase wages to $15. Cole had spent $113 at Walmart, and said it was the first time she had been able to buy groceries in three months. She and her two daughters had been eating out of cans, she said.
“Now, you can work 40 hours and you still can’t feed your family,” Cole said. “It’s good to see everyday, ordinary people doing this instead of seeing it on TV.”
In a statement, a Walmart spokeswoman said it is “unfortunate” that demonstrators attempted to push their agenda by interrupting shoppers. The company is “focused every day on providing our associates with opportunities for job growth,” spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
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