If this viral video is any indication, it might be time to add holiday shopping in peace to the list of things people of color in this country can't count on post-election.
The video, published on Tuesday, shows a white woman berating a Latina costumer who was at the cash registry paying for her things, allegedly because her companion added a few items in the middle of the transaction without going to the back of the line.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, user Renee Buckner shared the video and described the scene.
"I had to get back on FB, to expose this racism in America/Louisville," she said in the post, which was picked up by local and national media outlets. "If we ignore it, it will never go away."
In the video, which could not be independently authenticated by Refinery29, the unidentified woman tells the other customer that there's a line and starts "back there." Then, she goes off when the customer ignores her.
"Go back to wherever the fuck you come from, lady," she says, and tells the cashier, "Tell them to go back to where they belong!"
In her rant, the woman also calls the customers "nobodies" and accuses them of being on welfare.
"The taxpayers probably paid for all that stuff," she says, before adding, "It's true! We probably paid for every bit of that stuff, you know that? Probably all of the food they get and everything else."
When the Latina customer finally reacts, the lady tells them to speak English, because "this is America."
According to NBC News, Buckner didn't wish to speak to the media and let her pastor handle all requests.
"She said there was so much more that didn't get taped, and that they did end up taking down the cameras to actually confront the lady, because she talked about how Donald Trump is going to 'fix' this," Pastor Timothy Findley Jr., of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center in Louisville, KY, told NBC News. "But she felt really obligated to get this on camera."
The mall responded to the alleged incident in a statement made via Facebook and said that the customer is banned permanently.
"We are aware of the video posted online today from one of the department stores. Jefferson Mall strives to create a comfortable and convenient experience for all of our guests and we absolutely do not condone this type of behavior," the statement reads. "We will work to identify this woman, and once identified, she will be permanently banned from Jefferson Mall, per our Behavioral Code of Conduct."
Meanwhile, JCPenney also released a statement about the incident to WAVE3, a local television station.
"We regret that innocent bystanders — both other customers and a JCPenney associate — were subjected to such discriminatory remarks," the statement said. " We absolutely do not tolerate this behavior in our stores, and are working with our associates to ensure any future incidents of this nature will be addressed quickly and appropriately."
"We regret that innocent bystanders — both other customers and a JCPenney associate — were subjected to such discriminatory remarks," the statement said. " We absolutely do not tolerate this behavior in our stores, and are working with our associates to ensure any future incidents of this nature will be addressed quickly and appropriately."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT