WHO ARE NON-WHITE!

Please post. Thank you!

Myself including my husband and brother recently visited a Linens n Things store in Vista, California, in March 2007. We thought it would be a great time to go and pick up some bed sheets and pillows. What we thought was an ordinary day at Linens n Things turned into a day I will never forget. As we were parusing through the store, picking items, my brother, who is Filipino American and dresses in baggy clothes, calls me on my cell phone and states that they are kicking him out of the store. When my husband and I went to confront the manager and my brother to find out what was going on, the manager could not give me a clear explanation. He stated that he was told to keep an eye on him because my brother was looking at the exits and taking items in and out of the shopping cart. In the shopping cart were 2 pillows and bed sheets, which were all on sale. I became absolutely furious and began to defend my brother. I told the manager that he was simply waiting for my husband and I to get to the cash register to pay for the items and that putting items in and out of the shopping cart is a term called "shopping." I accused him of being racist and stated that just because my brother is not Caucasian and is dressed the way he is, he is discriminating. I told him that my brother doesn't need to steal because he is an Engineer employed at NASA, which I am proud to say that he is. The manager idiodically added, "I'm really good at this." I told him, "Yea, good at being racist!" I asked him what he would do if we didn't leave and he stated that he would call the police. I told him to call the police and security because this whole thing is just plain discrimination. He recanted and said that we would have to call the police and he wouldn't. The racist manager, named Richard ?, gave me the number to customer service. I've left many messages and they have yet to return them.

I just could not believe that racism, discrimination, racial profiling is so embedded in American culture. I also never thought that it could ever happen so blatantly. Being a social worker that I am, fighting for social injustice and advocating for my clients, I plan to make a concerted effort in making change. They have definitely messed with the wrong people and I plan to litigate!

To all who read this, fight for social injustice, discrimination, and racism. Many of the stores we service are major corporations with lots of money that end up in the hands of the wealthy.

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