Safeway Calls Cops On Black Woman Seen Handing Out Food To The Homeless
Employees said she was part of a shoplifting ring, though she'd never been in their store.
By Ed Scarce — July 31, 2018
When Erika Martin was seen handing out food and care packages to the homeless in their parking lot, Safeway employees naturally assumed she and her family were part of a shoplifting ring (/sarcasm). Martin was returning from her church in Palo Alto.
So it goes, in Trump's America.
Source: Mountain View Voice
Sunnyvale resident Erika Martin says she and her family were on an altruistic mission to help local homeless residents earlier this month, dropping off care packages and dog food for a homeless man and his dog outside the Safeway on Shoreline Boulevard.
The well-intentioned trip soured, however, when Martin found herself blocked into her parking space by a police car and questioned by officers. Employees at the grocery store had called in a possible theft in progress, and Martin and her family members found themselves the suspects in the investigation.
Police officials described the interaction as friendly and cordial, saying that officers quickly found that the reports were unwarranted and sent the family on their way. But Martin and her family members say they are upset over what they believe is just one of multiple racial profiling incidents they have faced while living in the Bay Area.
"We don't feel comfortable going back to this Safeway, especially the children, because of what happened to us," Martin told the Voice shortly after the incident. "We were there to do a good deed and we left feeling embarrassed, hurt and shocked."
Erika Martin, racial profiling, Safeway
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