I found information about the Black Friday protests taking place across the country well in advance of the event, something that was helpful for my planning purposes. Protests have taken place across the country in dissent against Wal-Mart's low wages and employee benefits. The day of protest, organized by United for Respect at Wal-Mart (OUR Wal-Mart), was well publicized with a lot of information shared on the blackfridayprotests.org website. I chose to focus my attention on the protests planned in the Cincinnati area, as I had planned to be there over the Thanksgiving holiday. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The website offered options for people to plan their own protests and had even suggested “host your own protest” options based on your location settings. I chose to attend a protest about 5 miles from downtown. All protests had an RSVP option and based on that I expected around 15 people to attend the protest. To my surprise, the turnout was much higher. Online the protest would have started at 11am, but many people were already present picketing. I came to find that the early risers were all University of Cincinnati undergraduate, graduate, and law students, most of whom were friends of the organizer, another University of Cincinnati student. He had two different protests planned in the Cincinnati area that day, so he was bouncing back and forth throughout the morning and afternoon. I didn't get to talk to her much, but I learned that she is a senior college student, like me, and is interested in going to law school or working in the nonprofit sector. The group was mainly made up of young people, but other people who heard about the protests online also joined. One of those present is a Wal-Mart employee from another store on the city's west side. He wore a mask during the protest and went out of his way to avoid the cameras (he didn't even want to tell me his name!). The composition of the protesters was less diverse than the Ferguson protest I had attended a few days earlier, as this protest was mostly attended by young white college students. Protesters held signs that said things like “Salaries always low. Always,” “Wal-Mart Employees Can't Afford Wal-Mart Groceries,” and “Don't Shop at Wal-Mart.” My favorite chant of the day was “Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, you're no good, treat your employees as you should." Some handed out flyers with information about local businesses. Shoppers appeared to be interested but not discouraged by the protest. Only two shoppers I saw stopped to ask about the protest, the others watched or They appeared to be making a conscious effort not to stare. Some members of the group, including the organizer, attempted to enter the store to continue the protest, but receptionists and a police officer asked them to stay outside persisted and they tried about five times to enter the store. No one was arrested from what I saw (or read later). The only criticism I have about this protest was the timing. The protest appeared to continue even after the large influx of shoppers reportedly occurred at Wal-Mart. Additionally, the parallel between frenetic consumerism and a powerful protest could be poignant to shoppers who are already in a charged emotional state. However, the.