A Massachusetts farm apologized after falsely accusing a Black couple of stealing 6 apples

[CatWoman]

A Massachusetts farm apologized after falsely accusing a Black couple of stealing 6 apples and calling the police on them

Connors Farm employees accused Manikka Bowman and Jeff Myers, a Black couple, of stealing apples.
They called the police over the incident, and an officer said they were "playing the race card."
Connors Farm reportedly apologized to the couple after they made a blog post about the incident.

A Massachusetts farm reportedly apologized to a couple that said it racially profiled them over Labor Day weekend.

Manikka Bowman and Jeff Myers went to Connors Farm in Danvers, Massachusetts, with their two children, aged 18 months and 7-years-old, on Monday, as they shared in a blog post. The farm features fall-themed activities, like corn mazes and apple picking.

In the blog post, Bowman and Myers, who are both Black, wrote that they paid "more than $100 on all-day admission," bought food and beverages, and donated to a scholarship fund the farm advertised throughout the day.

But as they were heading to the farm store, the family was stopped by a security guard, they wrote in the post. He and another security guard took the family to the farm store, where a third employee joined them, and reportedly searched Bowman's bag for "concealed" fruit.

Bowman and Myers asked to speak to a manager, who the third employee identified himself as. They then asked the manager for the owner's contact information, according to their blog post. The self-identified manager called the police after they pushed for the information.

The couple said the police officer who arrived did not listen to them, instead taking the manager's word. He eventually accused Bowman and Myers of "playing the race card," as they wrote in the blog post.

https://www.insider.com/farm-apologized-after-falsely-accusing-black-couple-stealing-6-apples-2021-9

[marble falls]

1. So Bowman and Myers played the race card.

[skylucy]

2. I read the entire article.

It sounds like they purchased an all day ticket for food and activities and it included a certain number of apples they could pick. Their kids "in their excitement" put 6 extra apples in the bag.

[JI7]

3. Something that likely happens all the time without people calling the cops

until the black family shows up .

[skylucy]

7. True.

[brush]

8. Yep, they spent $100 bucks only to targeted.

I'm so tired of the racial profiling in this country.

[CatWoman]

5. ....

"I assumed we'd have a chance to pay for the extras in our final checkout," Bowman said in the post. "With families being primary customers, surely, we couldn't be the first to have excitedly over-picked by a few apples — six in our case."

[exboyfil]

4. The wife is on the Cambridge School Committee

One thing Connors Farms does according to their website is have school groups and other civic groups bring children to their farm. Talk about stepping into it over a few apples.




Fall field trips can be scheduled Monday-Friday starting September 4, 2021 through October 29, 2021. Scheduled field trips are reserved for children up to age 12. Please allow your group at least 2 hours for the entire trip. We also have a picnic area, so pack a lunch if you would like to extend your visit. Fall field trips have a minimum of 25 people. Reservations are required.

​

Price $9.99

FALL field trip include: NEW - Educational Animated Chicken Show, general admission, a cup of cider, a cider donut, and a free return voucher for each student (with paid adult).

[flying_wahini]

6. What an awful person to call the police! Just despicable.