Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

California Target Apologizes After Black Teens Were Detained And Falsely Accused Of Shoplifting

California Target Apologizes After Black Teens Were Detained And Falsely Accused Of Shoplifting
La Shaun Aaron/Facebook

Retail giant Target has apologized after three Black teenagers—ages 16 and 17—were wrongfully detained in a case that was seen as racial profiling and racial bias.

The teens were lumped in with other customers who were accused of stealing iPhones from inside the store location in Westlake Village in California.


Malik Aaron, 17, and his friends went to Target last week to look for some snacks after their weekly high school ministry at Calvary Community Church, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Once there, they saw a separate group of customers who broke into a display case and ran out of the store with stolen iPhones.

Malik and his friends then noticed a store employee following them around the store.

He recalled the conversation he had with the Target team member who accused them of loitering.

He told KCAL 9:

"He said, 'Oh, do you guys need help with anything,' and we said, 'No. We are in the right aisle. And he said, 'Well, I can't have you guys walking around in the store,' and, you know, that kind of just made me, like, really uncomfortable, and that's when I told everyone, 'Let's just forget about the snacks and just leave'."

But when the teens tried to leave, the exit was blocked by shopping carts moved into place by employees who wrongly assumed the teens were involved in criminal activity.

Malik added:

"They wouldn't let us leave at all, but they were letting other people leave."

When the responding deputies arrived, one of the teens began recording the interaction with a cellphone.

One of the deputies slapped Malik's cellphone out of his hand and caused the device to break when he also tried to capture footage.

Aaron's mother, La Shaun, told the Los Angeles Times her son and his friends were "targeted because they were children of color."

She added:

"They were automatically associated with people that had committed a crime because they were also Black."

La Shaun posted the cellphone footage on her Facebook page.

The video showed the deputies holding the teens with their hands behind their backs and pushed against the checkout counter.

La Shaun said of her son:

"They took him outside of the store in handcuffs, which is totally humiliating, infuriating, embarrassing and traumatic."


Malik added one of the deputies was physically aggressive with him outside the store.

"...he threw me in the cop car and told me to shut the eff up and slammed the door on my feet."

Malik continued:

"I was thinking I was going to die that night. I already had that mindset that they were either going to kill me or one of my friends."

The teens were later released and no arrests were made.

Sheriff's Captain Sal "Chuck" Becerra explained in a statement the deputies' supervisors conducted an investigation looking into the Target incident.

The department concluded the deputies involved did not use "physical force" with one of the teens or damage a cellphone.

Becerra added there was no evidence to support "any allegations of wrongdoing, use of force, violation of our department policies, or violation of any laws on behalf of the deputies."

Target issued a statement of apology and said they terminated the team member involved in the incident.

Target additionally said all team leaders will "retake mandatory security and racial bias training."

The statement read:

"We want all Target guests to feel welcome and respected whenever they shop in our stores, we're deeply sorry for what happened and we've terminated the security team member who was involved."
"What happened to these guests is in direct opposition to the inclusive experience we want all our guests to have. Our security team member took action and stopped these guests in violation of Target's security procedures."
"We expect our team members to follow Target's security processes and treat all guests with respect. Additionally, all leaders at the store will retake mandatory security and racial bias training."

In conclusion, the retail company acknowledged the wronged teenage customers and their families.

"Finally, and most importantly, we're reaching out to all of the guests who were involved to offer a personal apology."



Civil rights attorney Toni Jaramilla—who is representing the Aaron family—said Target's apology was not enough.

Jaramilla said it needs to go "deeper than that" and added:

"You've got to take a look at their hiring practices, you've got to take a look at their promotional practices."

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less