BY LUKE SHANNO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
We are about two weeks removed from Thanksgiving and all that holiday brings with it – family, no school, turkey and the start of the holiday shopping season. But the events that transpired across the country on Black Friday, the unofficial start of holiday shopping, left me feeling ill and no it wasn’t from the pumpkin pie.
A 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee was trampled and died when a throng of customers rushed through the doors when the store opened at 5 a.m. on Black Friday at a store on Long Island, N.Y.
Four other individuals were trampled in the rush to get in the building and were taken to local hospitals, including a woman who is eight months pregnant.
Another incident, at a Toys “R” Us of all places, came to a boil when two men each pulled guns and shot each other dead inside the toy store in Palm Desert, Calif. The men reportedly pulled the guns after a fight broke out between the females that accompanied them to the store.
According to the reports, the fight and shootings were reported not to be over a toy. I guess it’s a relief that they weren’t fighting over the Hannah Montana DVD Game, but the fact that they brought guns to Toy “R” Us and chose to use them is just shocking.
There must be a moral to these stories and I think I’m getting there, so hang with me.
At the Wal-Mart store, customers were irate after being told the store was closing due to the death of a worker, that they were responsible for partially trampling. They wouldn’t leave the store. That’s unreal.
I can’t believe people can’t even travel to a toy store without having to wonder who is packing heat.
Could we see mandatory metal detectors at all stores, including Toys “R” Us stores? Seems extreme, but to protect children and adults alike it might be necessary.
Black Friday has long been a holiday tradition, serving as the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas and the shopping season that goes along with the time of year.
It is disheartening to head into the holiday season, a time for family, friends and fellowship, knowing these acts of violence and childishness tarnished the spirit of the holidays for many, especially the families of the deceased.
Even though these are isolated incidents and not reflective of all people and holiday shoppers, these events still show the true colors of some individuals. Hopefully this is the last time we see violence and death as headlines during the holiday season.