“You just said I’m Black and I’m ugly”, Supermarket employee lost his job after he was caught on video dragging a woman with special needs out of the store by her hair and yelling racially insensitive remarks at another

Supermarket employee lost his job after several customers say he assaulted one of them and yelled racially insensitive remarks at another, including a special needs person. The supermarket employee, who was not identified, lost his job after he reportedly racially profiled three different Black women in separate occasions. The security guard reportedly assaulted one of them and yelled racially insensitive remarks at another. All three incidents were reportedly caught on video. All three women said that the supermarket worker violated their civil rights and discriminated against them.

Shelondra Peavy, Stephanie Teel, and Kamesha Sterling told FOX26 News that a Kroger market security guard violated their civil rights. Peavy told the outlet that on June 21, 2022, she was having trouble shopping when the guard accused her of shoplifting. According to FOX26, Peavy couldn’t carry any more in her hands, so she dropped some of her items in a clear Kroger produce bag and continued shopping. The security guard then accused the woman of stealing. 

During their encounter, the guard can be heard admitting that he called her ‘Black and ugly’. In the video, the customer can be heard saying: “You just said I’m Black, and I’m ugly.” “Yes, I did,” the video shows him replying.

On April 13, 2022, Stephanie Teel, a woman with special needs, had her own experience with the security guard. According to FOX26, the woman with special needs was with her cousin, Kamesha Sterling, when she opened a Kroger burger inside the store and started eating it. According to KPRC 2, she had every intention of paying for it when they got to the register. But the security guard approached them, an altercation ensued, and eventually, he pepper-sprayed and dragged Stephanie from the store.

Kamesha Sterling told the outlet that she then started to record the incident, which showed the security guard her cousin out of the store before the two women were pushed out of the building. In the video, the woman with special needs can be heard saying: “Why are you doing this to me?” 

The woman from Texas also said that the same supermarket security guard followed her in May, thinking she also was shoplifting and demanding to know what was in her bag. Not one of the three women was charged with shoplifting in connection with the incidents.

The Kroger corporation released the following statement: 

“At Kroger, the safety of our associates and customers is one of our core values. We expect all third-party contractors to live up to those values, which also include respect, diversity, and inclusion. The Allied Universal Security Guard in question will no longer service Kroger stores. We will not tolerate this type of behavior from third-party providers that operate within our stores.”