Attention Shoppers: Racism available at 16

Shopping is one of my favorite things to do.  

I'll shop anywhere from Macy's to Wal-Mart.  For me shopping is a stress reliever.  It's a time to get away and do something for myself. When I am at the store, I expect to be greeted and treated with respect. 

After all, it‘s my money that will contribute to the success of the store. Recently for some black shoppers at a Wal-Mart in New Jersey, peaceful shopping was not the case. As the customers were walking around in Wal-Mart, a 16-year-old boy took over the public address system and said "All black people, leave the store now." 

Soon after the announcement, a manager quickly went on the intercom system and apologized for the remark.  The teen was arrested and charged with harassment and bias intimidation. As a result of the incident, Wal-Mart has updated the PA system at the New Jersey store to ensure this will not happen again.

I must admit, when I was a child I used to see the microphones at the grocery store and at Wal-Mart. I wanted to play with them but I never did. Even when I was bold enough to touch one, my mom quickly told me not to think about it. 

Many times as I walk through the stores, I see parents holding their young child's hand to ensure they know what their child is doing.

After reading the story about Wal-Mart incident, I read the comments from different readers who thought this was just a prank and the boy should not be punished. 

That is the problem with society today. People think they should be allowed to say or do anything without facing the consequences.

Like many parents of teenagers, the boy's parents didn't see any harm allowing their son to be in the store alone. It is sad that a 16-year-old feels like racial comments are appropriate. I know he knew what he was doing was wrong. 

Not only did he touch the speaker, but he also yelled something that could have potentially started a riot. It concerns me especially that a young person is still saying racial slurs in these times. 

But I must remember that although it is 2010, racism is still alive and well. This boy chose to hide his racist identity behind a microphone instead of wearing a sheet.  It bothers me that he does not think racial comments like this could quickly cause a problem to rise. 

 It is my hope that this young man will receive counseling and be educated about sensitivity, so he can understand the severity of his actions.