A Walmart store in Perris, California has found itself in the middle of a lawsuit for racism, after a local African-American citizen, Essie Grundy, left the store discontent with its security measures.
The problem is that all the beauty items for African-Americans were locked behind a glass case, even the $0.48 comb that Essie was going to buy. But if that was not embarrassing enough for her, after a store employee helped her get what she needed, she was escorted directly to the registers.
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“I felt that I was being treated as a person who might be a thief,” Essie says, sharing her experience in the Walmart, adding that she doesn’t want her kids or any other children to be treated like that in the future, which is why she is filing the suit against the store. Her attorney, Gloria Allred, said during a press conference assembled to announce the suit, that such a practice perpetuates the stereotype that African-Americans “should be suspected of being thieves and criminals.”
A company representative claimed in a conversation with local news company Eyewitness News, that cosmetics, as well as many other groups of goods, require additional security, which is implemented on a store-by-store basis, only when needed and ensured that the decisions are made based on data that the company gets from its respective stores.
Twitter had various reactions to the news of Essie’s negative experience at Walmart. While some believe the company must be held accountable for such a policy…
https://t.co/dvm7r29yzL via @youtube @Walmart You’ve got some explaining to do. This is in Perris, CA.#RacialProfiling#EqualityForAll
— Justice Seeker ✊🏼💥 (@tizzywoman) 23 января 2018 г.
…others expressed understanding towards such security measures being implemented in the store.
So it seems like the Perris Walmart is a frequent shoplifting store by African American people. 🤷♀️
— iseeu (@nobodyc11736) 27 января 2018 г.
This is the Walmart in perris. I go to this Walmart often. Those products are commonly stolen by everyone especially Mexican people too lol. They are locked up just like the razors that are also commonly stolen. That lady is just dumb and mad https://t.co/cz9TREoKgz
— 👾 (@yairlazer) 24 января 2018 г.
Recently, the Swedish clothing giant H&M faced racism accusations after a scandal broke out over its controversial ad campaign featuring a black boy wearing a hoodie with the text “coolest monkey in the jungle” on it. The company was forced to issue an apology, but still lost some of the promotional contracts it had.
