Michigan woman falsely accused of stealing bikini at Target, forced to pull down pants

[gollygee]

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/06/michigan_woman_was_falsely_acc.html

SOUTHFIELD, MI - A Detroit-area woman says she was falsely accused of stealing a bikini while in a Target store, handcuffed by security, then forced to pull down her pants and lift up her shirt in front of employees.

Store security workers later determined Ashanae Davis, 20, of the Detroit area, had a swimsuit with tags in a bag that had been purchased elsewhere, according to her lawyer, the Associated Press said.

(snip)

Davis was shopping in the store when one security guard grabbed her by the arm. A second guard handcuffed her and she was walked into a room with three store employees: a white man, a black man and white female manager, her attorney said.

Davis, who is black, was made to lift up her shirt and pull down her pants to show them she was not concealing merchandise, her lawyer said.

[malaise]

1. No need to state Davis who is black

That was obvious. No wonder white people rob them blind. They are racisttothecore.

[tazkcmo]

8. Bingo

The only positive in this story is the huge payday she's going to get when Target settles the lawsuit.

[malaise]

9. +1,000

[MichMan]

15. Based on the city, it would be expected

Southfield is 70% black, so it would stand to reason that most shoppers at Target would also be black.

[Evergreen Emerald]

2. My friend had a similar incident

It was not Target, but a security officer accused her of stealing a bra and wanted her to take off her shirt. She did not steal it, and was humiliated. The guy apparently had done this in the past. He was fired, and she was compensated.

[FakeNoose]

3. Target shouldn't be selling swimsuits

...if they have no way to identify their own merchandise.

Simple solution is to put RFID tags on the merchandise, and remove the tags at the register when each item is sold. The cost isn't that great and it would prevent these types of illegal and humiliating searches.

[zipplewrath]

4. Not sure how this happens

Unless this "security guard" was also an off duty cop of some sort, I'm not sure how they get to "handcuff" anyone. But furthermore, you just explain that you aren't agreeing to ANY search. Let them call the cops. Yeah, it's gonna ruin the better part of your day. And who really wants to deal with the cops either. Isn't like they're gonna be the cavalry. But just keep repeating to yourself "the lawsuit is gonna be awesome".

[tazkcmo]

10. Calling the cops

Good idea if you are white. For person's of color it could be fatal.

[zipplewrath]

12. Not insensitive to that problem

One is playing a very dangerous game. But in this situation, about all you'll be doing is sitting at a table when it comes time to go. And in this situation, potentially already handcuffed.

[tazkcmo]

13. Ok

Your trust in LEOs is probably at a higher level than most AAs.

[zipplewrath]

14. Trust is the wrong word

But probably my risk assessment is different.

[Cal Carpenter]

17. Putting the onus on the VICTIM who did NOTHING WRONG

rather than the authoritarian sick bastards who assaulted and humiliated her.

Just want to point that out...

[zipplewrath]

18. Not exactly

It is wrong and shouldn't happen. Once it has happened, the question is then what are the choices. One can choose to not participate in a strip search. It can be a delicate walk and requires extraordinary patience (and no small amount of risk especially for people of color).

[exboyfil]

5. How is this not sexual battery?

[uponit7771]

7. +1, hip !! Some of this search shit doesn't sound legal at all !!

[Cha]

6. How traumatic! Shopping

while Black.

[ksoze]

11. Lawsuit Material...

Wrong on some many levels, regardless of the color of the participants. Most stores have rigid policies on how shoplifting is handled and this in no way conforms with anyones procedures. The moment they stopped her, the clock started and how they handled it from there will determine how much they will be culpable if wrong, as they apparently were.

When I headed a retail security team many years ago, once a person was stopped who ultimately did not have any items, that employee was usually dismissed. It is a tricky job when there are some who prey on security and create a situation which enables them to sue. An example - we had people who would take their coat off and hand it on a rack. They would then come back by, look suspicious and put on the coat and leave. When stopped they would cause a scene and ultimately it would be proven to be their property. Cameras now help prevent these type of errors, but it is still a very tricky job.

[MichMan]

16. Not convinced racial profiling was a contributor

Last edited Wed Jun 6, 2018, 12:50 PM - Edit history (4)

Population of that area is 70% black. Assuming the customers at Target are also predominantly AA, blaming racial profiling would seem to be a stretch.

[LanternWaste]

19. I'm not at all surprised you've attempted to minimize a concerning aspect.

I'm not at all surprised you've attempted to minimize a concerning aspect.

[MichMan]

20. If over 2/3 of your customers are black....

.... how do you detain someone for shoplifting based solely on skin color?

Did they stop and accuse hundreds a day for "shopping while black" ?