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Once again, Walmart is threatening to invade New York, this time by way of Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn. And once again, New Yorkers are conflicted. City Councilman Charles Barron of Canarsie points out, as people often do, that Walmart is famous for exploiting workers. (In fact, it's about to go to trial in a major class-action gender discrimination lawsuit.) But Jamaica Bay locals, some of whom drive out of the city to shop a suburban Walmarts, welcome the big-box store.
"People are very happy about it," said Marie Purnell, former president of the Spring Creek Towers Tenants Association, which is across the street from the Walmart. "It was all the talk at last night's Democratic Club meeting."Democrats? Happy about Walmart? The part of our brain that generates jokes based on stereotypes is having a really hard time processing this.
· Rumormongering [Racked NY]
· Brooklynites gear up for ‘Warmart’ [Brooklyn Paper]
· Walmart gender discrimination suit gets go-ahead [Salon]