With plenty of Americans ready to flock to stores in search of Black Friday deals, protest groups prepared to meet them with messages about unfair wages and police brutality.
Protesters in Chicago were preparing to demonstrate along the "Magnificent Mile," a popular stretch of shops that is a popular destination on Black Friday.
Residents have been protesting the shooting of Laquan McDonald by a police officer. Just days ago, video from the dashboard camera of an officer at the scene showed McDonald being gunned down while walking away from officers.
The protest began around 12 P.M. EST, with a sizable police presence also in the area, according to social media posts.
#blacklivesmatter #LaquanMcDonald #Chicago A video posted by Smart Aleck (@kyred91) on Nov 27, 2015 at 9:13am PST
Traffic shutdown both directions as #LaquanMcDonald protest kicks off (as seen from @Trib_ed_board) pic.twitter.com/oh82i4zucG— Charlie J. Johnson (@Charliemagne) November 27, 2015
The protest drew a large crowd that included Rev. Jesse Jackson.
#BlackFriday #LaquanMcDonald protest about to kick off with Chicago's old guard civil rights /pols at helm pic.twitter.com/OLrqLZlyFc— WBEZeducation (@WBEZeducation) November 27, 2015
Two marches: One on the N-bound lane of Michigan Ave. Other one march ahead on both lanes #LaquanMcDonald #16at17 pic.twitter.com/KFpXxgnEtQ— Thanks, Bastards (@MinkuAzad) November 27, 2015
For the fourth straight year, labor organizers used Black Friday to protest Walmart wages. Small groups of people protested outside a variety of Walmart locations Friday morning, with a larger group in New York City set up outside of a condo reportedly owned by Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Having inherited a large piece of the company, her net worth is around $30 billion, according to Forbes.
THIS is going on outside Alice Walton's in NYC. Join us at Pico Rivera 10AM PST: https://t.co/jsB5E3Qach #fastfor15 pic.twitter.com/qAfy1EYqLv— ForRespectSoCal (@ForRespectSoCal) November 27, 2015
Walmart's treatment of its employees has been the subject of labor groups for years. The company agreed to two wage hikes in 2015, but the lowest hourly rate remains well below the $15 demanded by organizers. Entry level Walmart workers now make around $9 per hour. Walmart is the largest private employer in the U.S.
Labor organizations that have been pushing for higher wagers for Walmart workers were present at many of the company's locations across the U.S., working under the hashtag #Fastfor15. Protests had been reported in Florida, New York, Houston and Washington D.C.
#BlackFriday protests at Walmart in Wash DC push for higher wages and better working conditions #FightFor15 pic.twitter.com/GRzecC3GPF— Revolution News (@NewsRevo) November 27, 2015
Not everywhere was quite so busy and contentious, with some shoppers showing few protesters and even fewer shoppers.
My Black Friday at Wal-Mart. There are no lines or people. pic.twitter.com/rFCrnhiS4l— Joseph Scapa (@RepJosephScapa) November 27, 2015
#BlackFriday #Canada #PolitePeople #Walmart pic.twitter.com/Sdie1VSpbk— Scott Dougherty (@leafs_1967) November 27, 2015