A Black Customer Was Falsely Accused Of Stealing His Own Jacket By Racist Old Navy Employees. And It’s All On Film!

• By Aiman Shahab
• February 6, 2018
• 2 minutes read

Three employees were allegedly fired by an Old Navy in Iowa, for racially profiling a black person.

James Conley said that he was racially profiled when he walked into the store. Wearing a jacket he bought months ago. The customer even posted a video of himself being racially profiled by the store employees.

As Conley approached the payment counter to purchase a couple of hoodies, he was asked by the employee if he was also going to pay for the jacket.

“I was accused that I didn’t pay for my blue bubble jacket that I got for Christmas that I wore into the store,” Conley later shared in a Facebook post.

At first, Conley assumed he was being joked around with.

However, after another employee backed him up. To prove his innocence, Conley requested they view the surveillance footage.

In a post containing video proof of the incident, Conley also shared that none of the white customers waiting in line, wearing Old Navy apparel were confronted.

“Today I was racially profiled by the Old Navy store in West Des Moines, Iowa in Jordan creek. I was accused that I didn’t pay for my blue bubble jacket that I got for Christmas that I wore into the store. As I was checking out to purchase some hoodies, I was asked if I wanted to also purchase the jacket that I was wearing. First, I started laughing because I didnt believe what I was hearing. The store manager Beau Carter was very unprofessional and stereotyped me because I was a Black male. He says “anytime someone wears Old Navy clothing they have to always scan that customers clothing to insure that it was previously purchased”. (Where do they do that at?) Every time I go to this store I have on my same exact winter blue jacket and have never been asked to scan my clothing and the previous “non-black” customers had on identical apparel as me from old navy but was never asked to scan their clothing. Then after they scan my jacket they try to make me repay for it?? Finally the District Manager Shannon (who refused to give out her last name) came out and I made her check the surveillance tape to prove that her and her fellow employees were in the wrong for racially profiling me because of the color of my skin. Once she confirmed that I was telling the truth (after watching the tape) she never came back out to apologize to me nor did the store manager Beau Carter as you can see in my videos below.”

On Saturday, an apology was posted on Facebook by Old Navy for their employees’ outrageous behavior.

The post was an assurance for Conley that the three employees involved in the racial profiling were fired. However, Conley still plans to file a civil damages lawsuit. The incident made him realize how huge the issue of racial profiling is.