After a social media post of Old Navy employees racially profiling a black man while shopping went viral, the retailer reportedly terminated three employees involved in the incident.
Iowa resident James Conley was shopping at an Old Navy store in West Des Moines and when he approached the cash register, the cashier allegedly asked him if he was going to pay for the coat he was wearing. After he told them that coat was a Christmas gift, the manager claimed that “anytime someone wears Old Navy clothing they have to always scan that customers clothing to ensure that it was previously purchased,” according to his Facebook status. Conley said after the jacket was scanned, the manager allegedly tried to make Conley repay for it. They didn’t believe him until the district manager checked their surveillance footage, which had proved Conley’s point.
Old Navy quickly addressed this matter and posted an apologetic post on their Facebook page.
The 29-year-old plans to file a civil rights complaint and then a civil damages lawsuit. The Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP also plans to investigate this situation further.
“It’s just a blessing to see this nationwide and hearing my story out, to see them in the wrong and accusing me of something that I have never done in my life,” Conley told KCCI Des Moines.