Last week Wal-Mart officially ended its year long campaign to improve its image with a corporate media blitz in Rogers, Arkansas near its corporate headquarters. The invitation only affair was limited to 50 of Wal-Mart's friendliest journalists. Uninvited guests were community activists from the Coalition for a Better Inglewood who crashed the private party to demand a meeting with Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer H. Lee Scott. The Coalition for a Better Inglewood prevented the building of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Inglewood, California last year. Shortly after their defeat Wal-Mart bought the 60-acre property that was to house the supercenter. The Coalition sent a delegation to the Embassy Suites hotel in Rogers, Arkansas to preempt “the impact of poverty wages and inadequate health care on the quality of life of Inglewood families. We are concerned about maintaining business opportunities for small businesses and Wal-Mart's track record of driving locally owned and minority businesses out of business.” A letter they presented to Lee Scott before he was hussled away asked him to sign a community benefits agreement. Coalition member Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy pioneered community benefits agreements in 2001 when they negotiated a CBA with the Staples Center. CBAs cover myriad issues of concern to communities such as living wages, environmental impact studies and workers' rights In an attempt to control the message at the conference Wal-Mart first tried to inconvenience the Coalition by shuffling them from one convention room to another in an attempt to shut down the press conference demanding Lee Scott's signature on the CBA. When that fail they escalated to more overt forms of intimidation. To prevent any further access to the conference Wal-Mart erected a rope barrier, hoisted a private party sign and stationed two security personel before the entrance. They also had members of the delegation surveiled and followed by security as they moved around the hotel. Coalition organizers were undeterred and moved the press conference to their hotel room on the 9th floor. Wal-Mart then sent security people up to the press conference to keep an eye and ear on what was said. Wal-Mart's attempt to prop up its image no matter the cost to truth and dignity reflects just how far they have missed the boat on good corporate citizenship.