A Black woman who believes she was treated unfairly at Walmart is sharing the story that left her banned from the store a year ago.
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Tyesha Wilson said that last summer, she was ringing up her items in Stockton, California, when the employee in charge of watching self-checkout came and started asking questions.
“[She] asked if I run up my items, I showed her on the screen I rung them up. She then came back and told me it was 20 items or less, I explained to her that someone announced self check out was taking 40 items or less,” Wilson said.
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After that, the employee allegedly hovered over her, refused to move back when Wilson asked for some social distancing, and didn’t have a reasonable response when Wilson asked why she wasn’t watching any of the non-Black customers in the same manner.
At that point, Wilson says she announced she was taking out her camera to start recording because she felt uncomfortable.
The video begins with her explaining what just happened, as the employee wanders over to check on something else. As she comes back, she sees Wilson is recording, sticks her hand out, and appears to push or try to grab the phone.
“You just swung at me and I should beat the f—k out of you,” Wilson says, after asking to see a manager. “Well stop filming!” the employee replies.
The two argue for a few moments, during which Wilson clarifies that the employee hit her phone and says she “should’ve kept your f—king hands to yourself, b—ch.”
A second video shows Wilson talking to police inside the store, who inform her that Walmart is banning her from that particular location. In response, Wilson notes on camera that she did, in fact, show the manager the video of the employee going after her phone, and this was the response.
“I couldn’t find a lawyer that would help,” she wrote in a subsequent post. “Walmart never reached out or did anything! And the police said they couldn’t arrest her and that I should pursue a civil suit.”
Commenters on Wilson’s videos were torn, with some saying that the woman was just doing her job until things escalated with the decision to record.
But others say that doesn’t justify the alleged racial profiling or the way the employee overreacted to Wilson taking her phone out.
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“People don’t understand what it’s like to be stereotyped until its happened to you,” wrote @dietmangojuulpods.
“Why can’t ppl keep their hands to themselves,” @steponme58 added.
Black Woman Banned From Walmart Says She Was Racially Profiled
*First Published: July 19, 2021, 6:23 am
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