VA-ALERT: VCDL to protest Yorktown AutoZone on THURSDAY!

[OakRidgeStars]

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You have to love this group. At 1:00 AM Monday morning I give a short 3-day notice asking for volunteers to do a protest during a WEEKDAY. We get over 20 volunteers in 12 hours, with more volunteers coming even as I write this!


THE PROTEST IN YORKTOWN IS ON!

This protest is about AutoZone firing an employee, Devin McLean, who put HIS LIFE on the line for fellow employees and customers by going to his car, fetching a handgun, and stopping an armed robbery in progress in the store.

AutoZone calls its no-firearms-for-employees policy "Zero-tolerance." I call it "Zero-intelligence." We want them to rethink that policy. We also want to educate the general public on what AutoZone did so the they might contact AutoZone and also consider shopping elsewhere.


TIME AND LOCATION

I moved the time up by one hour to catch more of the "lunch crowd."

Time: 11 AM to 2 PM
Date: Thursday, December 13, 2012
Location:

AutoZone
2800 Hampton Highway (Hampton Highway and 1st Ave.) Yorktown, VA

The AutoZone is in the Shady Banks Shopping Center and across the street from a Dairy Queen and 7-11.


PARKING / PROTESTING

There is plenty of parking in the area, but don't park in the parking lot around AutoZone.

I will be talking to the York County Sheriff's Department to clarify where we can and can't stand during the protest.

There is a sidewalk off of 1st Avenue partially in front of AutoZone - we will marshall there starting around 10:30 AM, at which time further directions will be given as to where you will be assigned to stand.

While protesting, we need to stay off AutoZone's property - but that should be pretty easy.

VCDL is having some signs made up to be carried. If you would like to bring some homemade signs, that is fine, but PLEASE clear the wording with me first so that we can have a unified message.

If you carry, and how you carry (open or concealed), is up to you.


WEATHER - NICE!

The weather is expected to be clear, around 54 degrees with a light wind. Be sure to dress appropriately. There is a 7-11 across the street and a Dairy Queen (bathrooms, refreshments).


MUST WATCH VIDEO! SHERIFF DIGGS IS GOING TO PRESENT DEVIN WITH AN AWARD!

FROM WTKR.com: http://tinyurl.com/an9l9wl

Sheriff says he plans to honor ‘AutoZone Hero’ for taking action against ‘Fake Beard Bandit’

Submitted by WTKR_Web_Staff
Thursday, December 6th, 2012, 7:56pm


Even the sheriff is calling Devin Mclean a hero.

“Devin was a brave young man,” he says.

“I mean, two people with guns, no shots fired and a robbery adverted is a good ending,” says Sheriff J.D. Diggs.

But not for Devin after AutoZone fired the Air Force veteran

They say he violated company policy.

While the AutoZone in York County was being robbed by the Fake Beard Bandit, Devin went to his car, got his gun and came back to confront the robber.

“I thought what a shame this guy has really gone above and beyond. I mean what else could you ask an employee to do for you?” says Diggs.

The sheriff is among thousands who believe AutoZone should review that policy.

Daniel posted on NewsChannel3's Facebook page: “The employee was not breaking company policy until he feared for his own, and his manager’s safety. At that point, he left the store in order to save his boss’ life.”

On wtkr.com Doug wrote, “Shame on you for sticking to a corporate policy instead of making exceptions for heroic actions like this one.”

“Would he be wrong by not doing anything by taking no action? No, that’s an acceptable approach. I think that’s what AutoZone doesn’t understand. There’s more than one right answer,” says Diggs.

He’s even planning to honor Devin for taking action against this serial robber responsible for more than 30 robberies on the Peninsula over the last year.

“We plan on giving him an award, you know, a Sheriff’s Citizens Accommodation Award. We do that occasionally when a citizen does something above and beyond, and I think he stepped up,” says Diggs.




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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]

[MrJog]