When Your Own Do You WrongBlack on Black Racial Profiling

On a much-needed mini vacation to Las Vegas to visit my family, an interesting situation happened to my younger sister Jorjanna and I while we were out shopping.

Now when we left her place it was our intention to go to the Buffalo Exchange to see what vintage items we find.  However, on the way I spotted a Zappos shoe outlet store and begged her to take me there since I had never been to one.  Everyone who knows me knows that I am serious about my shoes.  I love Zappos.com and to have the chance to check out an actual store was more than my pocketbook could handle, lol.

Being that cooler weather is settling in and that my work takes me from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. on a regular basis, I’ve been scouting online for the perfect pair of boots, hence the excitement at going to Zappos.

So with my sister and nine-year-old niece Erica in tow, we head into Zappos to check out their boot selection.

Now I wear between a 9 and a 10, it all depends on the shoe.  However, my 5’3” 130-pound petite sister wears a 7, and my niece a 6.  Needless to say, we quickly separated off to different aisles to check out shoes.  My niece choose to go with “Little TT” and left “Big TT” to find out if the boot she was looking for was in stock.

The entire time I am perusing their shoe collection, not once was I asked if I ever needed any service, but I didn’t trip.  I actually didn’t even recollect that until the series of events I am about to lay out for you unfolded.

About ten minutes into my search for the perfect boot my sister comes to me and says that she has to go to the restroom.  I told her okay and that I’d watch Erica.  By then I had zoned in on a pair of 9 ½ red Kenneth Cole boots and was searching for an employee to get the left shoe so I could try them both on.  I told Erica that “Big TT” needed her fashion advice while “Little TT” handled her business. 

So while Erica and I weighing the pros and cons of the red Kenneth Cole boot my sister comes running up to me looking both very frantic, frustrated, and upset.  She says that we need to go and that I shouldn’t spend my money here. 

Now my sister Jorjanna is the sweetest person, aside from my Grandmother that I know, maybe almost to a fault.  She’s always cheerful and happy, yeah, nothing like her big sister, lol.  So for me to see her so upset I wanted to know why.

She said that she didn’t think anything of it at first but that when we separated and were looking at shoes on our own, that she was asked more than four times by various employees if she needed help, to which she politely replied no.  However, when she went to the back of the store to use the public restroom, one of the employees came in after her and my sister overheard the tail end of a conversation on a walkie-talking wherein the employee said “Who? The Black girl that just went into the restroom,” before realizing that my sister heard her.  When my sister finished in the restroom, she came out and realized that she forgot to put on her lipgloss and as she reached in her purse and turned around to go back into the restroom the same employee who just asked if she needed any help accosted her yet again.  By then, my sister said she got it and she quickly made her way back to where my niece and I were.

While my sister is telling me what happened three of the employees were standing a few feet away watching her.  This angered her and so my sister said, “Yeah, I’m talking about you.”

I told my sister to come with me as I grabbed the boots, my niece’s hand and headed to the front register.

I asked the girl working the register to get the manager for me and was told the manager was already headed to the front.  When the manager got there, I told my sister to tell her what happened.  My sister recounted what happened and ended by asking the manager point blankly did she look broke to her.  My sister wanted to know why she was being followed and profiled the way she was.  She assumed that maybe in their eyes she looked broke and like she couldn’t afford to be there.  I wanted to know too.

The manager stated that it was because of my sister’s purse (see photo to left).  So then I explained that I just gave her that purse the same day and had brought it from Los Angeles in two different colors, red and black.  My sister asked if her purse was too big and the manager said yes.  So my sister and I start looking around the store.  We were the only Blacks in there shopping at the time.  We spotted a Caucasian woman who had a purse that was slightly larger than my sister had and pointed that out to the manager.  My sister also added “But I guess since it’s a Coach bag that makes it ok.” 

After the exchange between my sister and the manager, my sister said she needed to go outside because she was too upset.  She also said that she didn’t want me to buy the shoes.

After my niece and my sister exited the store, I proceeded to buy the shoes.  I pulled out my credit card and my I.D. and handed it over.

The employee asked me where I heard about their store and I replied, “From my sister, yeah the one that you guys were racially profiling.  She brought me here.”  Then the employee asked if anyone on the floor helped me to which I replied, “Not really.  But the girl with the curly hair retrieved the mate to the boot for me to try on.  Yeah, the same girl that was hassling my sister.”  The employee said that her name was Tameka.  I made a mental note of that (as you can see).

As I was signing the credit card receipt, I asked for a business card for the store, thanked them, and walked out.

My sister, who was waiting for me on the outside, couldn’t believe that I had bought the shoes and so I explained.

You see I could have put the boots back and left the store.  And in the back of my mind I could hear them saying now, “Those broke Black fill-in-the-blank didn’t have any money anyway,” or something to that tune.  But why give them the satisfaction?  I also know that people in their position love when you get belligerent and loud.  I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of either, although I think my sister was getting there.  We made our point; I bought the shoes and we went on about our business…for the time being. 

There are several things about what happened that really trouble me.

The first being that the store employees were Black women, not white, Asian, Latino, or any other race.  The women hassling my sister and the store’s manager were African-American women.  Women, who in my opinion should know what it feels like to be racially profiled.

My sister didn’t look like a shoplifter, assuming there’s a specific look for a shoplifter.  She looked like any other woman in a shoe store shopping for shoes.

In fact, just to show you the irony of the whole situation.  My sister was recently awarded by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce with their 2007 Customer Service Excellence Award.  This award is created and managed by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority to encourage and reward excellence in customer service in all aspects of local business.  At a luncheon last month, my father along with my sister’s fiancé, boss, and co-workers proudly watched as she accepted her award.  She received the award because enough people had written into the Chamber about her work ethic and cheerful attitude, she’s a chiropractor’s assistant.

Therefore, to go from that to what I just described above was a real shocker for her and damn near brought her to tears because fortunately for her, in her life she’s never experienced that before.

Not to mention that we had our niece with us who is only nine-years-old and didn’t quite understand why “Little TT” and “Big TT” were so upset.  Erica is a biracial child who is very fair skinned.  Now she may never have to experience what many darker skinned Black men and women face everyday, but on this day, she learned what it means to be Black in some people’s eyes.

My sister now understands why I bought the shoes and once I got outside, I took out my digital camera and took the above picture of the Zappos store with the intention of writing about what happened on my site today.  Not because I have anything against Zappo’s, my bone is more or less with the sistas who worked at this particular store and their attitude.  I am not saying that it’s expected for other races to treat you indifferently, but let’s face it, it happens more often than not.

We mostly hear about cases of “DWB,” Driving While Black, the practice of police targeting Blacks, usually Black men, for traffic stops because they believe that they are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity. But it happens to Black women as well.  Hence, what happened to my sister and what happens to countless Black women around the country.

I’m not that naïve to believe that Blacks are never guilty of shoplifting.  However, I do believe that if you’re in the business of preventing shoplifting, there’s a way to watch people in your store without embarrassing them and letting everyone in the store know what you are doing.

My sister didn’t deserve what happened to her and the attitudes of the employees didn’t indicate that they gave a damn, but perhaps their boss will, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and everyday people like you and me that know what it feels like to be profiled unfairly.

Zappo didn’t make any new fans out of me and my sister, in fact, they lost a customer…for life.  Yes, that pair of red Kenneth Cole boots will be my last purchase from Zappos.  Again, it’s not a personal attack against Zappo, but as we all know, first impressions are lasting impressions and customer service employees are the gatekeepers.

Cc: Zappo’s Corporate, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas Better Business Bureau, Clark Country Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, Las Vegas Sentinel Voice, Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CLICK HERE TO SEND ONE EMAIL TO ALL

Zappos Corporate Headquarters
2280 Corporate Cir., Ste. 100
Henderson, NV 89074
(702) 943-7777
Fax (702) 943-7778

CEO and Director - Tony Hsieh

Key financials for Zappos.com, Inc.

Company Type: Private
Fiscal Year-End: December
Sales (mil.): $135.3
Employees: 600

Zappos In Question
3860 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 369-7310

Zappos Public Relations Office
SHOUT! Communications
540 Elizabeth St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 826-0375
Fax: (415) 821-3910
kathryn@shout-pr.com

Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
3720 Howard Hughes Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada 89169-0916
Fax: (702) 735-2011

Kara Kelley, President & CEO
(702) 735-2450
kkelley@lvchamber.com

Patti Speer, Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
(7020 641-5822, ext 224
pspeer@lvchamber.com

Summer Collins, Customer Service Excellence Coordinator
(702) 641-5822, ext. 265
scollins@lvchamber.com

Las Vegas Better Business Bureau
2301 Palomino Ln
Las Vegas, NV 89107
(702) 320-4500
info@vegasbbb.org

Sylvia Campbell, President/CEO

Ms. Tamara Beatty Pearson, Esquire, Chairman of the Board
(702) 862-3300

Stephen L. Hueftle, 1st Vice Chairman
(702) 942-0304

Ms. Charli Carter, 2nd Vice Chairman
(702) 795-2000

Clark Country Nevada
Citizen Connector - District "E"
Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani
500 Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89106
(702) 455-3500
ccdiste@co.clark.nv.us

Comments

[katia]

I am a 44 year old white woman with blond hair. dressed nicely when I go shopping. I am always constantly watched like a hawk when I go shopping at a lot of stores of all kinds. I have also been followed and checked out by an employee in the restroom recently at a Ross store for no reason I could see. This is always very degrading for me to be treated this way I know that race makes no difference, I have had your experience and a lot more. The only answer would be to never to go shopping again, because they definitly do not like something about me in there stores. I would never steal anything.

[loi wade]

Hello Meike? Are you still there? You are aware that you proved my point about being oblivious. Did you pay attention to everything I wrote or did you just pick out certain parts to suit your own agenda? You made this asinine comment about there being a reason for racial profiling. Are you fucking kidding me? We might as well condone vigilante justice. If the police want to use an excuse for profiling. Every time an innocent woman or child comes up missing they should randomly harass white men. Perhaps then they would save some lives. Black men and boys are being assassinated you closet bigot! You cannot deny that. And you don't know where I've been. I hate to tell you this fool, but the effects of slavery continue to live on. Go study your history, read your newspapers and watch your news, then talk to me. Reverse racism. Thats a joke. I don't care if you hate me UNLESS you have the power to keep me out of jobs and housing. Do blacks have the power to do that to whites? Hello? I don't hear you. Nothing to say? Didn't think so.

[Meike S.]

Thank goodness I don't personally know anyone who condones reverse racism. This blog page wreaks of it. I love ALL people. :) Not to mention, bringing up slavery in this day in age? Seriously? Really? It's a 200+ year-old legacy that, yes, should never be forgotten. However, mentioning about it as a way to try and justify black people are victims? Boohoo! Racial-profiling occurs because of current events involving inner city gang related activities. Get it straight.

The Zappos employees were paid to do a job. They will not notice every single person in the store who possess a large bag. Everything is observed on a whim. Jasmyne wrote of her sister's actions--going to the restroom and returning to it, yet, again to apply lip gloss. From a loss prevention standpoint, that DOES look suspicious. I suppose it never occurred to Jasmyne that that might just be it. Nope. Instead, reverse racism "I'm the victim because I'm black" took its course and this blog was posted. Racial profiling exists in parts of America but certainly not in this instance.

And, oh, by the way, Europe, especially, in the bigger cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, etc are similarly diverse if not more than its U.S. parallels. [sarcasm] Nice going on making the assumption about Soeren's ethnicity and background when you absolutely have no clue. [/sarcasm] Seal, Xavier Naidoo, Craig David, etc...there is something to be said about incredibly refined, educated European men. But, perhaps, you wouldn't know that if you have never traveled outside your bubble.

[Will]

It is sad that in 2008 that this still happens, but seriously, I know that stores train people to be on the lookout for shoplifters etc, but c'mon...if I was working in a store and someone took something and ran for the door...I would still be in the store watching them run across the parking lot, through some bushes, climb a fence and keep on truckin', because I am not about to chase after anyone--white, black or maroon. Store clerks continue to ask if they can help you when you are in their store and my suggestion is to reply with "Yes...can you stop bothering me so I can shop in peace or are you trying to get my black ass out the door, yesterday?"

[Loi Wade]

Gotta make this quick before I get caught on the office computer(lol). This person Soeren A. Is so typical. They just want to live in their protective bubble because blatant racism is too hard to digest. Her comments remind me of the comments of another white woman. A brother was asking her what she thought of the young brother that got shot 30 times by the NYPD. You know that fool said 'well he had to have done SOMETHING , right?' What in the hell could an unarmed man POSSIBLY have done to deserve being shot 30 times. One bullet would have sufficed, DAMN! Ms. Soeren, during slavery the main reason runaway africans were caught was because of other slaves;'yassa massa, I knows weah 'dey run off to' The only thing that has changed is the date. Tameka is the self hating slave and jasmyne is Hariett Tubman, HELLO! Thank God not all whites are as oblivious as you.

[Akua]

it aches. I'm past a half century and this bs has got to stop.
i remember being in my corporate suit in the tiny white town with the new record store. the owner is following me around while the grungy white teenager with the army sack is stuffing his bag. Now how many ways could this be more stupid? I'm
a junior exec in a tiny WHITE town, like i would blow my gig
for a CD? and as it was--- get this--- i was looking for Pavrotti for my mommy. He didn't have it. I told everyone the story and the shop went out of business, perhaps because this was only one aspect of the manager's stupidity.... but that said it was sad. I was so happy to have a record store in town, i went there to support the mf business and he couldn't even tell that i would be the last/ least to vary from the super straight and very narrow. Okay so we can't legislate love, but we can demand good behavior and withhold our dollars from those who insult
and demean us. And yeah, not the biggest deal, but just a painful deal, and it's pain we don't have to endure.

A Luta Continua!

[Soeren A.]

I don't know you nor anyone involved but let me just point out a couple things from my perspective as a European citizen.

The fact that you weren't offered any assistance in the store didn't upset you back then, so why bring it up now? The way you phrase it makes it seem like you should have been upset in retrospect.

Common sense tells me that *anyone* who enters a store with a bag is going to be randomly supervised. Sure, it sucks to be targeted as an innocent but from what I can see none of you were considerate enough to understand the employees' point of view. They have to make sure nothing gets stolen and those people who weren't picked for supervision will get picked for supervision in other stores. A store's employees can't focus on everyone at once.

Then you go on saying that you don't have beef with Zappos as such - and a little later post their HQ address to invite others to send hate mail. Which is it? Do you have beef with people or the company?

Also, the very people who label these workers as "sistas" are enforcing racism through demanding to be treated differently due to a common skin color. Should they *not* have done what they did just because they happen to share your looks? You cannot base their mind sets on a single occurence of that kind, nor can you conclude that the company as such condones racism.

Okay, you guys are black. Okay, the Zappos employees decided to check if you were up to something. It happens to anyone. Everywhere. You just don't always notice it. So please get over it, there was/is no racist agenda going on.

[Ami]

Hi new to the site, and will be back. I used to work retail, and can't tell you how many times I would see security (black and white) trail groups of black and brown people in the mall while not paying attention to the whites. They even trailed the younger people more than anyone else. Still, levels of theft didn't go down. It was because the people stealing tended to be the older white women who looked as if they were middle or upper class. One was finally caught stealing while back to school shopping with her kids. Another that was caught had some kind of mental issue (so she said).

[PurpleZoe]

I copied the link that allowed for emailing everyone on your list and have emailed them to inform them that I'm boycotting Zappos for life as well.

The information age makes it possible for civil rights violations to reach the awareness of just about everyone. This is a sign that the world intends to progress.

Thankyou for sharing this important piece of information.

Whether the profiling came from outside of the culture or from within it by those who hope they'll 'be spared' by being unjust to their own, it is unacceptable and deserves maximum exposure.

[William Clark]

I'm with Ty. I pretty much but everything online now. I remember being treated with nothing but courtesy from a security guard and the sales staff in a store some years back when I was window shopping with a friend. I went back two days later with a different friend to make a purchase of something that I'd decided to get and was treated like I was planning to lift some goods by the same security guard and staff members. I didn't get it at first until I realized that the first friend I went to the store with was white and the friend on the return trip was black. That is surely something isn't it. And the guard and staff members were--you guessed it--black like me.

[loi wade]

I am laughing child, but this is not funny. And why is it always Tameka, or shaniqua with the attitude? She knows last week she was saying 'welcome to macdonalds may I help you' . I experienced the same thing but it wasn't Zappos. Are you ready for this? It was PAYLESS! This hood rat, couldn't conjugate a verb to save her life ho, had the nerve to follow me around the store. All the while this 75 pound barbie put her old filthy ass shoes in a box on the shelf and walked out with a brand new pair. I waited ten minutes before I pointed it out. There are so many of our people walking around with a 'slave' mentality that, unfortunately this kind of thing will continue to happen. Please update us on this story. Have they issued an apology(along with a gift card!)?

[Ty]

Well, child, I know I would not have bought a thing in there, and, after they got cussed out, they would make sure to be careful who they stalked the next time, and, I hope some of the other customers were boosting them blind while they were hawking ya'll.

Sounds as bad as some of these Korean's and how they hawk you, black folks just can't get a break, whcih is why I don't deal with any of these stores in person, if, I need something, I but it online.

[Dennis Hicks]

WOW.. and I was JUST in that SAME store yesterday! How crazy! I didn't buy anything because their men's selection just seemed limited (at least in my size).

Unfortunately, it doesn't surprise me - especially in that area of town. The Target across the street from it is pretty similar.

[keisha]

it happens all the time to blacks. thanks for not letting it pass and blogging about it.